Japanese family leaves missing seven-year-old boy in mountains as punishment: reports

A seven-year-old boy has gone missing after his parents left him in the mountains as punishment, according to reports.

Yamato Tanooka’s parents initially told police the child had gone missing after getting lost on a hike but admitted Sunday they had left him in the mountains in Nanae, Hokkaido, according to AFP.

A 150-person-strong search party continues to search for the seven-year-old who was left in an area known for having brown bears.

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Yamato’s father, Takayuki, told police they had left him there as a reprimand for throwing rocks at nearby cars.

“The parents left the boy in the mountains as a punishment,” a spokesman for the police said. “They said they went back to the site immediately but the boy was no longer there.”

Takayuki told a TV Asahi reporter he was afraid to tell police what had happened while asking for a search to be conducted.