About past court hearings

We have not been very active about updating our blog for about a year.

In a meantime, we have received very harmful messages, as well as warm kind messages.

For past 1 year, we had several hearings in Naha District Court, and some of our friends and family members came to the court hearing, which made us safe and strong.  Again, we really appreciate for those of you who have been supporting for our case.

From the past trials, the daycare’s responses are,

“We will fight against the baby’s parents, because we did nothing wrong”

The daycare is not sorry at all.

The fact that leaving a 3months old infant facing down, and left a daycare unattended for 40 minutes has been disclosed, why they do not acknowledge their guilt.

I just cannot understand them.

The court will start the examination of witness.

The next hearing is scheduled on 09/03/2014 from 1:30PM in Naha District Court.

The examination of witness will be me and a childcare worker, who left the babies and went to the gym.

We will also be speaking in All Japan Childcare Study Conference in Fukuoka Japan in August, 2014

Again, Thank you for your support.

Original Japanese version of this article

The article on Asahi Newspaper in Osaka

On June 6^th, 2012, Asahi Newspaper in Osaka put the article about our incident.

After Hirotake’s death, Ishigaki City started to make it mandatory for all the daycare to register.

The daycare had to report any incident happened in the past at a daycare when they register, however they did not say anything about incident, including Hirotake’s death.

After we found out about it, we went to Ishigaki City Office and told them this daycare is not being honest. The city office worker told us, “We cannot change anything because the daycare wrote the report”

We were angry and told them, “so if a person put the false report, because he/she wrote the report city office accept it even if it is a lie”

When the daycare register, they have to put every little detail about what they do, especially private own daycare, they investigate if there is any false report. However the city office does not seem to care about the daycare putting false report about our son’s death.

On 07/17/2013, there will be a 4^th court hearing in Naha District court.

I hope people learn from our son’s death, and the government will put more effort to make more regulations regards to running the daycare to create a safer environment where children are protected which the parents can trust.

(Translation for the asahi newspaper article)

In February 2010, in Ishigaki City, Okinawa Japan, Ms. Yoshino Arashiro who lost a 3months old baby boy, Hirotake Arashiro, request investigation to the daycare.

The childcare worker at a daycare left Hirotake and other babies, more than 10 infants, alone and went to a sport gym. About 40minutes later, the childcare worker returned to the daycare and found something was wrong with the baby. When daycare submitted the incident report, they did not mention about leaving the daycare unattended, and in the report which Okinawa prefecture office submitted to the Japan National Government office, the fact childcare worker left infants unattended for 40 minutes were not included. 

Original Japanese version of this article

After 2nd court hearing for the Daycare baby death incident

On April 17^th, there was a 2^nd hearing in Naha for our son’s case.

It was only about 15 minutes, but I saw my friends and family and those who supported us at the court. I really appreciate it.

At the court, the daycare admitted she went to a fitness club, however she said,

Hirotake died around 11am, and she went to fitness club at 11:20am, so she claims leaving for fitness club did not cause Hirotake’s death, because he died when she was still in the daycare.

Obviously she is not sorry but only worried about her own sake.

At this moment the daycare is not guilty.  I do not understand Japanese Law system.

I know in some other country, if the parents leave the baby unattended, they will get arrested.  Very protective law for the children, however In Japan, the daycare left the children unattended is not guilty.

I will never be able to understand this Japanese law system…

Original Japanese version of this article

Daycare incident in Ishigaki, a court hearing will begin

On February 1^st, 2013, it has past 3 years since our 2^nd son’s incident.

We tried to bring it to the criminal case but it failed, therefore we tried to bring it to civil trial.

First we want to thank all of you who have been supporting us to gather the signatures, as a result we could successfully bring it to the civil trial.

The first court hearing will take the place on March 6^th 2013, and it is open to public.

I want as many people to know the truth that such an irresponsible people running the daycare, leaving 12 infants alone unattended and went to the fitness gym and when she returned, she found our baby is dead, but they are not guilty. I can never forgive them although the world forgives them.

In Okinawa, the level of childcare service is very low, I want not only Okinawa but also everyone to take serious responsibility to raise the children, especially for those who are in the professional business running the daycare.

We do not want this to happen anymore.

Original Japanese version of this article

It's been 3 years since my son died

It has passed 3 years since February 2010. At that time, it was only 3 weeks after my first son had his 2nd birthday.  

The day when his little brother passed away, he was crying harder than usual, so my husband took him outside, he said, still using his baby-talk, “Hiroake has flown away up above in the sky” with pointing his small finger up. 

When I saw him, I thought even two year old boy understands the loss of his brother, and was having a difficult time, which made me cry even harder. 

I have worked very hard in the past 3 years to bring this incident as a criminal case. In August 2012, I was told by a police and a prosecutor that it was judged as not guilty, and it did not even become a criminal case. Not-Guilty… I did not know where to throw my sorrows and furies.

As a result of not guilty, these people at the daycare were not criminal offense, and did not even have to pay fine for a penny. I did not know how I could take this reality. They ran a daycare and had 12 new born babies, the owner lady of the daycare went to a fitness club and her daughter who worked there left to make lunch for her husband, both left the daycare leaving 12 babies alone unattended. During that time, my son was left laid facing down without checking his condition, and was killed.  The cause of death was because he was sick, and it had nothing to do with how they treated my son, therefore, there was no criminal matter involved.

Police explained it to my husband and me so many times, but I could never nor will I ever understand the result.

If they did not leave the daycare unattended, my son, Hirotake would not have had to lose his life… I am very upset.

That daycare was closed down for losing my son.

The room of the house where my son was killed is blocking the road that will be extended; the whole building will be knocked down.

These people who owned the daycare will receive money from the government for force removal, and will build a brand-new house. I am sure they are very happy to do that, because they said, “it’s very hard to see the room where Hirotake died”

Until today, we have never received a condolence or an apology from the daycare. I just cannot forgive them.

From March 2013, a Civil Trial will start, we appreciate for your support.

Original Japanese version of this Article

Filing a lawsuit in Civil Court and Press Conference

On December 14^th, 2012, we filed a civil lawsuit for damage in District Court in Naha City.

After the criminal lawsuit judged the daycare as not guilty, we asked for the signature for “re-investigate”, and we received 38000 signatures from all over Japan, with warm messages. We really appreciate their support and kind messages.

On August 2012, we went to Hyogo Japan to for National Child Support convention and spoke about our baby’s incident.  There were about 10000 people were gathered. Some people were crying listening to our story, and could not believe the children were unattended at the daycare.

On November 2012, we went to another convention in Tokyo, and spoke about our story.

Although our incident has been on newspapers, TV, and all kinds of media, it happened again. We really have got to stop and create an environment where parents can feel comfortable raising their kids.


Original Japanese version of this article

Civil Trial

This picture was taken 2 hours before Hirotake died. The picture was used for communication notebook between parents and daycare.

They performed autopsy to find out the cause of his death, and the result was death from an illness.

At that time, they did not know what caused the illness. After the autopsy, they took one of Hirotake’s organ and did further investigation for what caused an illness. After a month later, University of Ryukyu Medical gave us a result, said The cause of illness was pneumonia by infection. When he took X-ray at yaeyama hospital, there was nothing on his lungs.  But Police keeps saying he died from infected pneumonia. Usually, people perform further research for how he got infected, however, they did not do further research for Hirotake. Then the case was closed.

In this photo, does he look he had pneumonia? We could not believe it thus, we asked for 2^nd opinion to the different doctor. And the Doctor at Chiba and Aomori disagreed that baby had pneumonia, however the police keep saying “He died from pneumonia”

We do not want this kind of incident to happen to anyone anymore, so we spoke to the city office, and the City Office told us, in Ishigaki City, no one ever registered for running the daycare.

From now on, they make it mandatory for every daycare to register to the city office.

We thought every daycare had to register, but last month, 6months old baby was laid facing down and his heart stopped beating. It was exactly like Hirotake’s case, they took him to Naha and the baby survived, however, his brain got damaged and today 12/13/2012, the baby passed away.

We spoke to the parents of that baby, and they said, we need to stop having irresponsible daycare to run the business.

The daycare that killed that baby was also unauthorized daycare.

Tomorrow, December 14^th, 2012, we are going to Naha City to file the lawsuit against the daycare in civil trial, and after that we are going to give a  press conference.

It has been 2 years and 10 months since Hirotake died, and we are going to start civil trial.

We do not want to hear the tragedy news anymore.


Original Japanese version of this article