This gives a new meaning to the phrase ‘overbearing parents’.
7-year-old Yamato Tanooka had been abandoned in the woods in Hokkaido as a punishment for being naughty last Saturday.
The child was left alone for a few minutes by his parents who discovered that he was missing after they returned to look for him in the woods – which is home to many brown bears.
Despite search efforts made by Japan’s Self-Defence Forces, it didn’t seem like Yamato was going to be found – but he turned up in military barracks near Shikabe, only a few miles from where he was abandoned.
The boy’s father, Takayuki, has apologised to the search team and admitted that he ‘went too far’ in his punishment of his son.
According to the Mirror, young Yamato was found when:
“One of our soldiers was preparing for drills this morning and opened 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.”
We’re tempted to say all’s well that ends well, but we really hope that Yamato’s parents have learned their lesson.
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