Woman went to work at pachinko parlor, hostess club after giving birth to child who died

TOKYO (TR) – Earlier this month, Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrested a 31-year-old woman after her newborn was found to have died at her residence in Adachi Ward.

“I am unable to pay for a hospital, and there is nobody near me for whom I could seek help,” Kazumi Ikeda, a part-time employee, was quoted by police upon her arrest on January 2 on suspicion of abandonment by a guardian resulting in death. “[The child] was premature.”

According to police, Ikeda gave birth to the girl in the bathroom of her residence in the Nishiarai area on the morning of December 28. She is then alleged to have abandoned the child inside the residence until she died on January 1.

However, the site for weekly tabloid Shukan Bunshun reveals that the situation is more complicated: Ikeda went to work two part-time jobs while leaving the child in the residence.

“The day after giving birth, [she] worked part-time at a pachinko parlor from 8:00 a.m. at a nearby pachinko parlor,” an investigative source tells the magazine. “She then went to another part-time job at a hostess club.”

Cries started to fade

Ikeda lives alone. The residence is that of her grandfather, who died last summer, a neighbor tells the magazine.

After giving birth, she purchased powdered milk and a baby bottle at a pharmacy. She also put baby clothes on the child. However, on December 30, the baby’s cries started to fade and her limbs began to move slowly.

On the night of January 1, Ikeda alerted emergency services. Upon the arrival of emergency personnel, the child was in a state of cardiac arrest. She was later confirmed dead at a hospital.

During questioning, she said that the father is her former boyfriend. She added that she had not visited a medical institution.