Why is a man "ordinary family" who died in captivity at home ... March 9, 18:02

Last year, a 37-year-old man died in a house in Kawasaki.

On the blue tarpaulins in the front door of his house, he was not wearing his clothes and his limbs were tied up.

It seems that the man had a mental illness.



His parents and sister, who lived with him, were arrested on suspicion of imprisonment, and his father stated, "I thought it was annoying to go out."



Why did this happen?

Could he not get someone's help?

What I could see was a "family that seems to be everywhere" becoming isolated.

Limbs tied up on a vinyl sheet

In January, the Kanagawa Prefectural Police arrested a 70-year-old father, a 65-year-old mother, and a 36-year-old sister for confining their eldest son, Yuichiro Yokoyama (37), at a house in Asao Ward, Kawasaki City.



The eldest son died last September.

It is believed that he was held in captivity at his home for four months before his death.



Police explained that the eldest son was lying undressed on a vinyl sheet laid at the front door.



He had his limbs tied up with handcuffs and ropes, was unable to move, and was eating and excreting on the spot.



He is believed to have had a mental illness, and he is said to have lived a life of withdrawal from his home for 17 years.

I didn't even know who lived

At home, he was imprisoned by his family until he died ...



Under what circumstances and why did this happen?



We immediately headed to the on-site housing.



It is a part of a residential area opened in the Tama Hills in the northwestern part of Kawasaki City.

It was a two-story wooden house built in 1987, and it seemed that the garden trees were also well maintained.



There was nothing reminiscent of the scene of the incident, and it looked like a normal house.



Immediately, I started "land coverage" to ask the residents in the neighborhood.



I went around and asked each house one by one, but there were only voices such as "I didn't know who lived because the shutters were closed all the time" and "I didn't come out even if I visited". Gathered.



On this day, I couldn't meet anyone who knew the family well.



It is not uncommon for condominiums in the city center to produce no results from land coverage.

However, it is unusual for a single-family house in a residential area to have no relationship with the surroundings.



Looking at the closed shutters, I felt that the family might have been isolated in the area.

He was a serious and gentle child

It's been a month since I started going to the site.



I was able to borrow the graduation album of Yuichiro's deceased elementary school.

A boy smiling at the camera.



It's a photo taken more than 20 years ago, but I felt the fact that one person died again.



Born in Ibaraki prefecture, Yuichiro moved to Kawasaki, where his grandparents lived when he was in elementary school.



Yuichiro belonged to a table tennis club and a breeding committee in elementary school.



He repeated interviews and was able to hear from Yuichiro-san and a man who was a classmate at elementary and junior high school.



He recalled that he was quiet and he was a serious child.

A male classmate


"I was a gentle type who liked to talk about hobbies and TV in the classroom rather than playing outside. I was not in the center of the circle, but I was an excellent child who could study. I didn't know anything about it since then. I didn't think so. "

The dream of the future is an archaeologist

The elementary school graduation album spelled out dreams for the future.

My future dream is to be an archaeologist.

The reason I want to be an archaeologist is because I want to find out how people of ancient times lived and how civilized they were.

For example, Stonehenge in England is asked how such a large stone was piled up.


(Omitted)


There are many mysteries all over the world.

One of the reasons I want to be an archaeologist is that I want to reveal this.


(Omitted)


To become an archaeologist, you must have knowledge of history and archeology in mind.

But if you love history, you should be able to remember it.

To do that, we need to love history more and more.

That's why I want to continue working toward my dreams.

Yuichiro was studying hard for his future dreams.


After graduating from junior high school, he went on to one of the prefecture's leading colleges and passed a university in Tokyo.



There was no information that he was in financial distress, and he felt like a ubiquitous family.

Possibility of "schizophrenia" withdraw for 17 years

The turning point was 17 years ago after I entered university.



He is said to have begun to break things and make loud noises.



When the family consulted with the ward office, the staff advised them to consult a medical institution, saying that they may have schizophrenia.



However, I didn't go to the clinic and started to stay at home.

I've never heard of my brother's existence

Since then, Yuichiro-san has disappeared.



The family who lived together seemed reluctant to talk about the existence of his eldest son outside.



She said she had never heard of her eldest son, a woman who had been going to karaoke and eating with her sister until about 10 years ago.

My sister's acquaintance


"I was talking about my parents, but I never heard of my brother. I didn't want to talk about my house."

Weight at death is 50 kg

Last May, my eldest son went out without wearing clothes and was notified by the police.



It is believed that this triggered the start of imprisonment on the second floor of his home.



It fell to the first floor in August.

He hit his head hard and became bedridden.



He only passed through the throat of liquid food, and the following month he was debilitated and died.

His weight at the time of his death was about 50 kg.

"I thought it would be a nuisance to go outside." Deepening isolation

The arrested father told the police, "I thought it would be a nuisance to go out."

His mother and sister have denied the charges.



The family has been in contact with the ward office twice, when the eldest son went wild 17 years ago and when he went out without clothes last May.



The second time in May last year, the staff of the ward office recommended that I get a diagnosis by showing a specific medical institution, but I did not get a diagnosis after all.



"I couldn't take him because he was violent when I tried to take him," the father told police.



The family became more isolated from their surroundings and did not seek medical help.

Mental illness patients and their families carry them

Professor Masako Kageyama of Osaka University, who is familiar with the problems of people with mental illness and their families, points out that patients with mental illness are carried by their families and cannot be seen from the outside.

Professor Masako Kageyama, Osaka University


"In general, families of patients with mental illness may have to do something about themselves."


"Patients with mental illness have died at home repeatedly. . Mental illness makes it difficult to take to the hospital when the symptoms worsen. Isn't it necessary to enhance support so that medical care and nursing can be received at home when the symptoms worsen? "

Postscript of the interview

How did a family of four live in this house for 17 years?



What were you thinking?



There are still many things we don't understand in our interviews.



After the incident was reported, there were voices on the Internet saying, "My house is the same."



Schizophrenia is estimated to occur in about 1 in 100 people.



I suspect that there are many families who are worried and unsupported.



We would like to listen to the stories of many people and think about what kind of support is needed and what the challenges are.

Please let us know your experiences, your worries, and your opinions.

Post to https://forms.nhk.or.jp/q/ZA579M1O


Rei Saito , a

reporter at the Yokohama Broadcasting Station , was in charge of the earthquake and nuclear power at the Mito station, where


he first joined the station in 2016,


and since November last year, he has been in charge of the prefectural police at the Yokohama station to cover the accident.


Yusuke Ohara , a

reporter for the Yokohama Broadcasting Station , joined the Osaka Prefectural Police Department


in 2018 and


is currently in charge of the Kanagawa Prefectural Police Department.


Shintaro Toyoshima ,

reporter of Yokohama Broadcasting Station


Joined in 2019


Responsible for coverage of incidents and accidents at Yokohama Broadcasting Station


Worked at Odawara branch office from November 2021