Regarding the Sept. 23 article "Mother held for killing son in Fukuoka park": My wife and I were very saddened to hear of the strangulation of 6-year-old Koki Tomiishi. Unfortunately, it is a painful reminder that Japan is not the "safe" country many Japanese proclaim it to be.
Regardless of the mother's involvement, most parks in Japan leave much to be desired. Our local park in Edogawa-ku (Tokyo) is a prime example. First, there are several love hotels nearby. Prostitutes wait for customers then escort them through the park to their hotel of choice. How can we teach our children morality when they are surrounded by immoral behavior?
Second, the park is awash with single men, young and old, who go there to smoke cigarettes, drink alcohol, read pornographic material and take pictures. I'm talking about indecent pictures of mothers changing the wet clothes of their kids after playing in the fountain, pictures looking up little girls' skirts on the swings, and pictures that would be best described as child pornography.
Third, there are the mothers who bury their heads in cell phones, oblivious to the comings and goings and general events occurring around their children. If you don't protect your children, who will? Finally, there is the lack of basic security. Some bike parking areas are staffed with only one entrance/exit point, a very high security fence and concertina wire. Our park has nothing of the sort. In more than five years, I have yet to see even a single police officer near the park.
Until parents start to take the safety of their children more seriously and demand better, safer and more family-friendly facilities for their kids, more unfortunate events involving children will occur.
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