The country of japan was shocked when an elderly man made the headlines for murdering his disabled wife. She had been bound to a wheelchair for most of their marriage, and he was reportedly, “tired of taking care of her.” Later he admitted his crime to his son who reported him to the police.
Tired of caring for his disabled wife
Hiroshi Fujiwara, living in Oiso, Japan, is 81 years old by the time he had reached his limit. He had been caring for his disabled wife, Teruko, 79, for 40 years. She relied on a wheelchair to get around, and he was tired of caring for her. For you see, he had been doing that for half of his life.
According to the police reports, Fujiwara drove his wife to the pier in Oiso on the 3rd of November. He put her in her wheelchair and wheeled her around for a it. Then, he simply tipped the wheelchair into the ocean. When he got home, he could not keep what he had done to himself. So, he confessed to his son, who reported him to the police. “My dad says he pushed mum into the sea,” he reportedly said.
Furthermore, a local fisherman saw a body floating in the water. Which was eventually identified as Teruko. Not long after, Fujiwara was arrested on “suspicion of murder.”
Common occurrence
Elderly people are vulnerable to abuse, and it is unfortunate to say that it is a common occurrence in many countries. In the year 2020, there were 17,281 cases of family members abusing their elderly relatives. Moreover, there were 25 deaths in those cases.
That being said, it is not easy to read stories like this, let alone understand Fujiwara’s reasons. Many people have given their opinions on the matter. They range from understanding to down-right disgusted. One person took the first approach, and said, “I don’t think this was an evil act. More likely out of mutual love, but still a very difficult thing to agree to for both of them.”
Another person took the opposite approach and said people should be ashamed for supporting Fujiwara’s decision. They wrote, “Shame on anyone defending this. I hope he rots in jail and that the deceased rests in peace now after that horrible way to go.” Then, another person echoed that same message, saying, “How sad. After all these years the man has given up and decided to end his partner’s life. This is not easy for many to understand unless you’ve been there.”
In other news
It seems that killing a disabled wife, or loved one, is not such a rare phenomenon. It happens all around the world. There are some countries where euthanizing is legal. however, there is a very strict criteria in order for it to be approved. Furthermore, it must be done by an accredited facility, and strictly by the book. One man killed his wife, after she asked him to “take care of her” when she got too ill to take care of herself.
He agreed, but on the condition that he took his own life and went with her. Tables turned when he failed his suicide attempt, and survived. He was arrested on account of murder, but he was only given a two year sentence, with two years suspended. The judge said, “The circumstances of this case are a tragedy for you and are exceptional in the experiences of this court. You were under immense emotional pressure. I am entirely satisfied that you acted out of love for your wife.”
Keep Reading: World’s youngest serial killer who murdered 3 by age 8 is a ‘sadist who likes giving pain’
Sources
- “Japanese man pushes disabled wife into the sea because he’d ‘grown tired of taking care of her’.” Unilad. Emily Brown. November 5, 2022.
- “Japanese man, 81, pushed disabled wife into the sea because ‘he had grown tired of taking care of her’. Independent. Maroosha Muzaffar. November 6, 2022.