A father who allegedly kept his mentally ill son confined in a small cage for more than two decades was arrested today in western Japan, police said, according to local media.
Police have arrested 73-year-old Yoshitane Yamasaki as a suspect in the confinement of his son, who is now 42, at their home in Santa's Hogo district, a police officer told AFP.
According to local press reports, his son was forced to live in a wooden cage one meter high and 1,8 meters long, in a prefabricated house next to the main house. The suspect allegedly pleaded guilty.
"I forced my son to live in a cage for more than 20 years because he has mental problems and was naughty," the father told local officials, according to the public network NHK.
The father said he fed his son and allowed him to bathe every other day. The son, who was not named, was taken to a hospital in stable condition but suffers from kyphosis, NIK reported.