Tanooka found alive

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Abandoned Japanese boy: Seven-year-old Yamato Tanooka 'forgives father'46 minutes ago 

• From the sectionAsia

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Image captionYamato was found in relatively good health and left hospital on Tuesday

A Japanese boy who was lost for six days in dense forests after his parents left him behind has been discharged from hospital.

Takayuki Tanooka, 44, and his wife briefly left Yamato Tanooka by the side of the road on the northern island of Hokkaido on 28 May as punishment.

When they came back he was gone. A huge search was launched and the boy was found at a military base on Friday.

Mr Tanooka said in an interview on Monday that Yamato forgave him.

The case sparked a debate in Japan about parenting.

Japanese missing boy Yamato Tanooka found alive in Hokkaido

• 03 June 2016
 
• Asia

Image captionYamato Tanooka, seen here in an older picture, had not been seen since last Saturday

A boy missing in remote woods in Japan since Saturday after being left alone by his parents as punishment has been found alive and well.

Seven-year-old Yamato Tanooka was found in a military training base near Shikabe in Hokkaido, just a few kilometres from where he was left.

His parents initially said he had got lost, but eventually admitted briefly abandoning him for being naughty.

His father has apologised to his son and rescuers, saying "we went too far".

How did Yamato survive?

The lost boy and Japan’s parenting debate

"My excessive act forced my son to have a painful time," Takayuki Tanooka said in an emotional news briefing outside Hakodate hospital, 30km (19 miles) south, where the boy was taken for checks.

Image captionThe boy's father Takayuki Tanooka apologised for abandoning his son

"I deeply apologise to people at his school, people in the rescue operation, and everybody for causing them trouble," he said.

"I have poured all my love into my son, but from now on, I would want to do more, together with him. I would like to protect him while he grows up. Thank you very much."

How Yamato survived

Search teams including the Self-Defence Forces (SDF) have been combing the remote area,home to brown bears, for nearly a week.

Image captionThe seven-year-old boy was abandoned in dense forest by his parents

They had found no trace of Yamato and hopes were fading.

But shortly before 08:00 on Friday morning (23:00 GMT on Thursday) he was found inside a building at the SDF base about 4km (2.5 miles) from where he was left.

Image captionThe base was not far from where Yamato went missing, but surrounded by dense woods

"One of our soldiers was preparing for drills this morning and opened the door of a building on the base, and there he was," an SDF member told NHK.

"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 rice balls."

It appears rescuers came tantalisingly close to finding him four days ago. The SDF said the base had been searched on Monday but no trace was seen of the boy, who says he reached the hut on Saturday.

The soldier who found him was not part of the search team.

NHK said Yamato had told rescuers he "walked through the mountains" until he found the shelter.

He was taken to hospital by a medical helicopter. A doctor later said he was in very good condition, despite only having had water during his six-day ordeal.

At Yamato's school in Hokuto, near Hakodate,his fellow pupils shouted for joy when it was announced at assembly that he was safe, the Japan Times reports.

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