Boy Goes Missing in Bear-Infested Forest After Parents Abandon Him, Search Continues

The search continues for a Japanese boy who went missing after his parents left him in a bear-infested forest, police said.

Seven-year-old Yamato Tanooka went missing on Saturday in Mt. Komagatake in Nanae, Hokkaido. According to a report in Japan Today, the boy's parents initially told the police that he got lost while the family was out walking in the area to pick wild vegetables.

However, Tanooka's father, 44-year-old Takayuki, told the authorities on Sunday that they had left the boy alone in the forest as a punishment for throwing stones at people and cars during a visit to a nearby park. According to a police spokesman, the parents said they went back to the site after five minutes but the boy was gone.

In a news report in BBC, Tanooka's father said: "I wanted to discipline him, so made him get out of the car to scare him a bit. He's an active, lively boy, but I'm worried how he's doing."

He told reporters at TV Asahi that he did not dare admit the truth to authorities when he first requested for help in searching for his son.

Tanooka has not been seen for three days since his parents left him alone in the woods in northern Hokkaido, which is said to be home to species of wild bears.

The search for the missing boy had begun on Monday, with police and school officials heading the search. According to a report in the South China Morning Post, about 180 Japanese rescuers expanded the search area, mobilizing sniffer dogs and horses to go deeper into the woodlands.

Mitsuru Wakayama, a representative of the local town of Nanae, said that only local residents pass through the area occasionally as a short-cut, and that it is usually dark in the area.

The incident has sparked indignation from the Japanese public, condemning the actions of Tanooka's parents and worrying about the child who is alone in the forest with no food or water.

It is not known if the parents will face charges, police said.