An 81-year-old man was arrested on suspicion of murder after pushing his wife into the sea because he was 'tired of taking care of her'.
Local police in Oiso, Kanagawa prefecture in Japan were made aware of the incident on Friday 4 November, when the son of 81-year-old Hiroshi Fujiwara told authorities 'my dad says he pushed mum into the sea'.
Fujiwara told police the incident took place one day earlier, when he drove his 79-year-old, wheelchair-bound wife Teruko to a pier in Oiso.
The couple lived by themselves in Japan, and Fujiwara told police he had been taking care of his disabled wife for more than 40 years when they drove to the ocean at around 5.30pm local time on Thursday.
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Once there, he claimed, he pushed her in her wheelchair from the pier and into the water, before later going to admit to his son what he had done.
Kanagawa Prefecture Police’s Oiso police station said in a statement on Friday (4 November) that Fujiwara was arrested and taken into police custody on suspicion of murder.
Fujiwara pled guilty and admitted to the charges.
His arrest came as a body was spotted floating in the water by someone in the area who called the police at around 7pm on 3 November to report the sighting.
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First responders were able to get the 79-year-old woman's body out of the sea and she was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead.
News of the elderly woman's death sparked backlash from internet users who accused Japan's government of ignoring the issue of elder abuse in a population that is ageing rapidly.
Japan reported a population of 125.7 million last year, according to the World Bank, and more than one-quarter of people living in the country are aged 65 and above.
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As reported by the South China Morning Post, the proportion of residents over the age of 65 is projected to reach one-third of the population by 2050.
The elderly woman's death comes after a survey by Japan's health and welfare ministry last year reported 17,281 incidents of elderly people being physically assaulted by family members in 2020.
As many as 25 elderly people lost their lives as a result of the abuse.
Further data gathered by the Japanese welfare ministry has revealed almost 70 percent of elder abuse victims suffered physical abuse during their ordeals.
Topics: Crime, World News, Health