He was discovered in a hut at a military exercise ground about 4 miles (6 kilometers) from the spot where he was left alone at the roadside for a short time by his parents for being naughty.
Takayuki Tanooka, the father of the boy, said he was "very sorry" for what happened to his son and regretted the punishment.
"I told my son that I am sorry that I
made him go through a very hard situation. He nodded to me," Tanooka
said at a press conference after being reunited with his son.
"I have been raising him with lots of love," he said, his head bowed and on the verge of tears. "I would like to pour a lot more love over him from now on, and watch him growing up."
"I never thought the situation would develop in such a way. I thought it would be good for him, but it was too much," he added.
Three soldiers from Japan's
Self-Defense Forces found Yamato Tanooka on the premises of the military's
Komagatake exercise field Friday morning, said Hiroki Komori, a spokesman for
the Northern Army 11th Brigade.
The boy told them he was hungry. The
soldiers gave him water and two rice balls, and said that the boy was fine and
talking normally.The boy told police he reached the building the first night he
was missing, local media said.
He appeared to be in good condition
for someone who had spent seven days without food, Dr. Yoshiyuki Sakai, the
doctor who examined Yamato, said at the press conference. He spoke coherently
and showed signs of mild dehydration and malnutrition; he had light scratches
on his arms and legs, the doctor said.
The small building where Yamato was
found is usually used as a rest station, but hadn't been used recently. Yamato
had wrapped himself up in two of the futon mattresses that were stored inside to
keep warm. He drank water from a tap outside.
No comments:
Post a Comment