Japanese boy left in woods as punishment found alive

A boy left alone by his parents in the woods in Japan as a punishment had gone missing but has now been found alive and well

3 June 2016, 7:53am

1 min read

Seven-year-old Yamato Tanooka was found in military barracks near Shikabe

Seven-year-old Yamato Tanooka was found in military barracks near Shikabe town in northern Hokkaido, not far from where he was last seen on Saturday.

He was found inside a building at an SDF base, only a short distance from where he was left, shortly before midnight on Thursday.

Reports by the BBC say that search teams, including the Self-Defence Forces (SDF), have been combing the remote area for a week.

The AFP news agency was told by a police spokesman that the boy was found by an SDF official on a drill.

"There was no conspicuous external injury, and the boy introduced himself as Yamato Tanooka," he said.

He looked to be in good health but was taken to hospital by a medical helicopter for checks, the BBC reports.

Yamato's parents initially said he got lost while foraging for vegetables, but they later admitted they had driven off, briefly leaving him alone on a mountain road as a punishment for throwing stones. When they returned to collect him shortly afterwards, he had disappeared, they said.

Police have said the parents could face charges for negligence, the BBC reports.