HE'S ALIVE! Japanese boy, 7, abandoned in bear-infested woods by his parents six days ago is found at disused military facility three miles from where they dropped him for being naughty

 

A Japanese boy who miraculously survived six days alone in a bear-infested forest without food did not shed a tear when he was found and told his rescuer he was hungry before wolfing down rice balls and bread. Yamato Tanooka, 7, was rushed to hospital suffering exhaustion and dehydration but otherwise apparently unharmed on Friday after he was found deep in woods on the northern island of Hokkaido.

He was discovered inside an old Self-Defense Forces training facility in the town of Shikabe about three miles from where he disappeared after a massive search involving hundreds of police, military

and volunteers. Last Saturday his parents made him get out of their car as punishment for misbehaving, leaving him behind in a wooded area. When they returned minutes later, he had disappeared. Police said they are considering filing neglect charges against them, according to Kyodo News.

We went too far': Tamayuki Tanooka, Yamato's father, has apologised to his son and those involved in the search effort

When he was found, the youngster devoured two rice balls the soldier gave him but did not shed a tear, the military said. He looked a bit worn out but was 'genki' – a Japanese word describing healthy children.

The boy said he had walked to the SDF facility on his own through the mountains.

A member of Japan's Self-Defence Forces told NHK national television said: 'One of our soldiers was preparing for drills this morning and unlocked the door of a building on the base, and there he was.

'When he asked "are you Yamato?" the boy said yes. Then he said he was hungry, so the soldier gave him some water, bread and riceballs.

Local media reported the boy survived by sleeping between two mattresses inside the abandoned military dormitory which was an unheated wooden building.

He told police had had been drinking water from a tap outside the building while he was staying inside the military base.

Dr Yoshiyuki Sakai, the doctor who examined Yamato, told Asahi TV the child appeared to be in a good condition for a boy who had not had food for six days. 

A member of the Self-Defence Forces shows the mattress which the seven-year-old boy was using inside the military facility

The seven-year-old was suffering mild dehydration and malnutrition, and had a mild rash and scratches on his arms and legs.

According to The Guardian, a doctor said: 'He was incredibly calm considering he had been missing for seven days. He didn’t panic at all'.

Appearing outside the hospital where he was reunited with his son, his father Takayuki Tanooka said: 'We have raised him with love all along.

'I really didn't think it would come to that. We went too far. I thought we were doing it for my son's own good.'

Asked what he had told his son, Mr Tanooka, fighting back tears, said: 'I told him I was so sorry for causing him such pain.'

An aerial image of the dormitory buildings at the Ground Self-Defense Force Komagatake exercise area where Yamato was found on Friday

Earlier in the week, Mr Tanooka expressed deep regret for his actions, saying: 'We have done an unforgivable thing to our child and we have caused a lot of trouble for everyone. I just hope he is safe.'

More than 180 rescuers, including soldiers, were scouring the Higashionuma area where the parents said they dropped the boy off.

There were no signs of the boy or any eyewitness reports of him, according to police. 

Bears are sometimes seen in the mountains of Hokkaido, but an attack by one of the animals is unlikely because none has been spotted in the area, the authorities said. 

The boy was found in a military shelter (circled) in huge expanse of bear-infested forest three miles from where he was abandoned

The boy's mysterious disappearance had captured international attention, with many praying for his safe return.Many people bitterly criticised the parents, triggering a debate over whether their treatment of the boy was discipline or child abuse. 

The parents initially said he disappeared while they were picking wild vegetables, but later admitted they made him get out of the car as 'discipline' after he threw stones at people during a visit to a park. 

Mr Tanooka said the boy was gone when he drove back to the spot a few minutes later. 

Police said they are considering whether the parents should be charged with child abandonment. 

'Making children obey by giving them fear or pain is bad parenting, it's abuse,' Naoki Ogi, a professor of education at Hosei University, said in his blog. 

 

Rescuers are seen here celebrating the news that Yamato had been found alive

Dailymail