Tsu District Court to hear case of killing of daughter with a disability by 72 year mother with an illness

By Barrier Free Japan with extracts from The Chunichi Shimbun

June 6 2021

content has been altered to withhold the accused’s name

Tsu City, Mie Prefecture – The trial in a murder case in which an elderly mother, who lived alone with her daughter who had a severe intellectual disability, will begin at the Tsu District Court on June 7th.

The defendant, aged 72, of Yokkaichi City, who was pessimistic about her future, allegedly tried to commit suicide with her second daughter, Emi, then 44. The defendant herself is believed to have been ill for many years, and the issue of whether and to what extent she was responsible will be a point of contention.

An acquaintance of the defendant confided, “I got the impression that she didn’t talk much unless she felt comfortable with someone. After Emi suffered a stroke around the end of 2009, her visits to the workshop decreased, and it is believed that the mother and daughter spent more time alone.

According to those involved, the defendant had been suffering from mental illness for many years. Just before the incident, she consulted with a neighbor about her inheritance.