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Sankei Shimbun, February 25th, 2012

4 year-old boy dies in Tokyo, multiple bruises found on body
Mother's boyfriend arrested on suspicion of causing injury

The 4-year-old boy, who was living in an apartment in Takadanobaba of Shinjuku-ku in Tokyo, was taken to hospital with multiple bruises on the afternoon of February the 24th, and subsequently died. On February the 25th, the Metropolitan Police Department Totsuka Station arrested the suspect Ryuji Kawabe (27), who was a company employee and had been living in the same apartment, on a charge of assault to the boy causing injury.

Totsuka Police station will investigate the connection between the assault and the boy's death, with a view to placing charges of violent assault causing death. In addition, the Police are investigating whether the abuse had been continuous because the old injuries were confirmed on the body of the boy. According to the Police, the suspect Kawabe confessed that he had hit him in a rage.

It is alleged that the suspect got angry at the son Yusho Narita of his girlfriend (22) who was unemployment and living in Fujimi-cho, Tachikawa City, Tokyo because the boy did not eat lunch. He hit the boy several times on his stomach with his hand, causing injury at their home at about 1.05pm on the 24th.

According to the police, the woman found Yusho drooping on a sofa when she returned to her apartment, and she had phoned the police at about 8.55pm. Original article