Takanobu Furuya, 76, was arrested on August 4th by Funabashi police in Chiba prefecture, eastern Japan, for allegedly attacking his 52-year-old son with a kitchen knife at their home on August 3rd. Furuya called the police and confessed to the crime shortly after the incident.

"I stabbed my eldest son two or three times. I couldn't endure the abuse any longer," Furuya told police with bruises around his eyes, according to Japanese media reports on August 5th.

Furuya reportedly attacked his son from behind with a 15 cm kitchen knife. The son sustained serious injuries but regained consciousness after receiving emergency medical treatment. He is currently in stable condition.

Police are investigating the motive and the possibility that Furuya had been subjected to repeated abuse from his son.

Takanobu Furuya at the Funabashi police station in Chiba prefecture. Photo: FNN

Takanobu Furuya at the Funabashi police station in Chiba prefecture. Photo: FNN

Nearly 17,500 elderly people experienced abuse in Japan during the 2023 fiscal year, with almost 60% of cases perpetrated by their own children, according to a government survey. This figure does not include abuse cases in nursing homes.

The majority of reported cases involved physical abuse, while around 35% involved psychological abuse or neglect. 86% of the victims lived with their abusers, most commonly their sons. 27 people died as a result of elder abuse.

Observers believe these cases are linked to the "8050 problem," a term in Japan referring to parents in their 80s who still provide financial and emotional support to their children in their 50s.

Minoru Kawakita, a sociology expert at Aichi University of Education, notes that some parents support unemployed or unmarried children for years. Many cases involve parents and children becoming socially isolated after the child moves back in with their parents following a divorce or job loss.

Duc Trung (Theo Mainichi, Kyodo, Chiba TV)