6 Nights Alone in Forest, Japanese Boy Found in Good Health

Local Editor

A missing seven-year-old boy who spent nearly a week sheltering in a hut after being abandoned by his parents in a bear-inhabited forest in northern Japan as a punishment was found alive Friday, officials said.

Yamato Tanooka was discovered inside a military base by a soldier about 5.5 kilometers from where he went missing last Saturday, apparently unharmed and in good health.

Reports said he had taken shelter in the hut and found a tap to drink from but was hungry and was immediately given food when discovered.

After the emotional discovery, the boy's contrite father appeared before the media and apologized for causing his son's ordeal.

Yamato's parents have been severely criticized in social media for forcing him out of their car on a mountain road as punishment for misbehaving.

"A Self-Defense Force official who was on a drill found a boy whose age appeared to be seven," said Tomohito Tamura, spokesman for police on the northern island of Hokkaido.

"There was no conspicuous external injury, and the boy introduced himself as Yamato Tanooka," he said, adding that his parents were reunited with him and confirmed he was their son.

The boy "looked in good health" but was taken to hospital by helicopter for a check-up as a precaution, SDF spokesman Manabu Takehara said.

Yamato's emotional father later bowed in apology when speaking to reporters outside the hospital where his child was being treated, in an appearance aired by public broadcaster NHK.

"My excessive act forced my son to have a painful time," said Takayuki Tanooka.

"I deeply apologize to people at his school, people in the rescue operation, and everybody for causing them trouble," he added, thanking those who searched for him.

"The first thing I said to my son was, 'I'm very sorry to have caused you to face this suffering because of me,'" said the father, adding that his son nodded in return.

The parents originally told police their son got lost while they were out hiking to gather wild vegetables along with their daughter, but later admitted they had become angry with him for throwing stones at cars and people and had ordered him to get out of the car.

The local Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper said the boy had told police that Saturday night he walked to the corrugated metal hut on the military base.

An unidentified SDF official told NHK that when the soldier opened the door of the structure he found the boy inside.

"When the official asked 'are you Yamato?' the boy said 'Yes, I am'," he said.

The boy was hungry so the soldier who found him gave him something to eat, another military official told NHK.

Japanese media interrupted regular programs to broadcast news of Yamato's discovery in the case which has drawn huge attention.

Source: News Agencies, Edited by website team