Hikikomori shut-in lived with corpse of father, only left residence for idol concert

TOKYO (TR) – To be filed under “exceptional circumstances.”

Tokyo Metropolitan Police on Monday announced the arrest of a 49-year-old man, who lives a shut-in existence, after the discovery of the body of his father in their residence in Kunitachi City, reports the Yomiuri Shimbun (June 24).

According to the Tachikawa Police Station, the suspect, who was not named, suffers from the condition known as hikikomori, meaning a person who has withdrawn from society.

Other than attending a concert featuring his favorite idol group, the suspect never ventured outside of the residence between the death of his father, aged in his 80s, around June 8 and the discovery of his body on June 21.

The suspect shared the residence with his father. Police believe that the suspect, of no known occupation, was living off the pension of his father, who delivered a magazine for a human resources center for the elderly until quitting in March.

After that, the father dropped out of contact. On June 21, a city employee visited the residence and tipped off police after finding the father’s body inside.

On June 23, police accused the man of abandoning a corpse. “My father died due to an illness on around June 8th,” the suspect was quoted. “I did not want to think about the future and I left him as is.”

The body did not exhibit any signs of external wounds. Police are now attempting to confirm whether the father did in fact die of natural causes.