Japanese man confines son in 3-feet-tall cage for 20 years
What's the story
73-year-old Yoshitane Yamasaki was arrested in Sanda on Saturday by Japanese police for keeping his son, now 42, in a cage for over two decades.
The wooden cage was a little over 3-ft tall, and 6 feet wide. Yamasaki argued his son had mental illness and sometimes acted up.
The son, who now suffers from a bent back, is being looked after by authorities.
Details
Allowed to eat food, bathe: How the son survived
Reportedly, the son ate food with the rest of his family and was bathed every alternate day. But in absence of family members, he was locked up.
The cage had a plastic sheet beneath the floor, a heater and air-conditioner.
He was first confined when he was 16, to forbid him from banging on walls or hurting anyone else.
How?
How the police got a whiff of the confinement
The family didn't opt for any welfare care for the son's care. The city officials were unaware of what was happening in the hut next to the house, till someone reported it.
A visit by a city official alerted the authorities. A female relative was also living in the house.
The pensioner was arrested for 36 hours and he also admitted to the allegations.