Miyuki Ishikawa
Encyclopedia
was a Japanese
midwife and serial killer
who is believed to have murdered many infants with the aid of several accomplices throughout the 1940s. It is estimated that her victims numbered between 85 to 169, however the general estimate is 103. When she was finally apprehended, the Tokyo High Court
's four-year sentence she received was remarkably light considering that Miyuki's actions resulted in a death toll so high that it remains unrivaled by any other serial killer in Japan. According to a report of Children's Rainbow Center, writer referred to the incident as "unbelievable and unbearable."
, Miyazaki Prefecture
and graduated from the University of Tokyo
. She later married Takeshi Ishikawa. The relationship did not produce any children.
She worked as a hospital director in the and was an experienced midwife.
In order to solve this dilemma, Ishikawa chose to neglect numerous infants, many of whom died as a direct result of this abuse. The exact number of victims is unknown, but it is estimated that she killed at least 103 babies. Almost all of the other midwives employed by the Kotobuki maternity hospital were disgusted by this practice and resigned from their positions.
Later she also attempted to garner payment for these murders. She and her husband Takeshi solicited large sums of money from the parents, claiming that it would be less than the actual expense of raising these unwanted children. A doctor, Shiro Nakayama, was also complicit in this scheme and aided the couple by falsifying death certificates. The Shinjuku ward office ignored their actions.
were accused in 1930 of murdering 41 foster children. Hatsutarō Kawamata was arrested in 1933 for murdering at least 25 foster children. The Japanese government was aware of this crisis, but did nothing.
Japanese tradition also disputed the rights of infants. Cases of infanticide by a parent had been typically regarded as bodily injury resulting in death under the Criminal Code of Japan
until 1907.
Two police officers from the Waseda police station accidentally found the remains of five of Ishikawa's victims on January 12, 1948. Autopsies performed on the bodies of the five babies proved that they had not died of natural causes. She and Takeshi were arrested on January 15, 1948.
The victims were deserted children
, and so she insisted that parents were responsible for their deaths. The public supported the assertion, but Yuriko Miyamoto
criticized them, saying it was an example of discrimination.
Upon further investigation the police found over 40 dead bodies in the house of a mortician. Thirty corpses were later discovered in a temple. The sheer number of dead bodies recovered and the length of time over which the murders took place made it difficult for the authorities to determine the exact number of victims. Consequently, the exact death toll remains unknown.
The authorities viewed her homicides as a crime of omission. In the Tokyo District Court
, Ishikawa was sentenced to eight years in prison, Takeshi and Dr. Shiro Nakayama were each sentenced to four years imprisonment. The couple appealed their sentences and in 1952 the Tokyo High Court
revoked the original sentence and sentenced Ishikawa to four years in prison and Takeshi to two years.
. One of the reasons this incident was thought to have occurred was as the result of an increase in the number of unwanted infants born in Japan. On July 13, 1948, the Eugenic Protection Law (now the Mother's Body Protection Law) and a national examination system for midwives was established. On June 24, 1949, abortion for economic reasons was legalised under the Eugenic Protection Law in Japan.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
midwife and serial killer
Serial killer
A serial killer, as typically defined, is an individual who has murdered three or more people over a period of more than a month, with down time between the murders, and whose motivation for killing is usually based on psychological gratification...
who is believed to have murdered many infants with the aid of several accomplices throughout the 1940s. It is estimated that her victims numbered between 85 to 169, however the general estimate is 103. When she was finally apprehended, the Tokyo High Court
Tokyo High Court
is a high court in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The Intellectual Property High Court is a special branch of Tokyo High Court....
's four-year sentence she received was remarkably light considering that Miyuki's actions resulted in a death toll so high that it remains unrivaled by any other serial killer in Japan. According to a report of Children's Rainbow Center, writer referred to the incident as "unbelievable and unbearable."
Early life
Ishikawa was born in KunitomiKunitomi, Miyazaki
is a town located in Higashimorokata District, Miyazaki, Japan.As of 2003, the town has an estimated population of 22,058 and the density of 168.76 persons per km². The total area is 130.71 km².-External links:*...
, Miyazaki Prefecture
Miyazaki Prefecture
is a prefecture of Japan located on the island of Kyushu. The capital is the city of Miyazaki.- History :Historically, after the Meiji Restoration, Hyūga Province was renamed Miyazaki Prefecture....
and graduated from the University of Tokyo
University of Tokyo
, abbreviated as , is a major research university located in Tokyo, Japan. The University has 10 faculties with a total of around 30,000 students, 2,100 of whom are foreign. Its five campuses are in Hongō, Komaba, Kashiwa, Shirokane and Nakano. It is considered to be the most prestigious university...
. She later married Takeshi Ishikawa. The relationship did not produce any children.
She worked as a hospital director in the and was an experienced midwife.
Infanticide of at least 103 newborns
In the 1940s, there were many babies in her maternity hospital, and Miyuki Ishikawa found herself facing what she perceived to be something of a quandary. The parents of many of these infants were poor and unable to raise their children properly without financial struggle, and she herself was unable to help the infants because of a lack of social and charitable services.In order to solve this dilemma, Ishikawa chose to neglect numerous infants, many of whom died as a direct result of this abuse. The exact number of victims is unknown, but it is estimated that she killed at least 103 babies. Almost all of the other midwives employed by the Kotobuki maternity hospital were disgusted by this practice and resigned from their positions.
Later she also attempted to garner payment for these murders. She and her husband Takeshi solicited large sums of money from the parents, claiming that it would be less than the actual expense of raising these unwanted children. A doctor, Shiro Nakayama, was also complicit in this scheme and aided the couple by falsifying death certificates. The Shinjuku ward office ignored their actions.
Prior incidents
Similar cases had occurred in Japan before this incident. The people of ItabashiItabashi, Tokyo
is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Itabashi City. Itabashi has sister-city relations with Burlington, Ontario in Canada; Shijingshan District in Beijing, People's Republic of China; and Bologna in Italy....
were accused in 1930 of murdering 41 foster children. Hatsutarō Kawamata was arrested in 1933 for murdering at least 25 foster children. The Japanese government was aware of this crisis, but did nothing.
Japanese tradition also disputed the rights of infants. Cases of infanticide by a parent had been typically regarded as bodily injury resulting in death under the Criminal Code of Japan
Criminal Code of Japan
The Penal Code of Japan was passed in 1907 as Law No. 45. It is one of the Six Codes that form the foundation of Japanese law.- External links :* - Japanese Ministry of Justice...
until 1907.
Arrest and trial
The victims were deserted children
Child abandonment
Child abandonment is the practice of relinquishing interests and claims over one's offspring with the intent of never again resuming or reasserting them. Causes include many social and cultural factors as well as mental illness. An abandoned child is called a foundling .-Causes:Poverty is often a...
, and so she insisted that parents were responsible for their deaths. The public supported the assertion, but Yuriko Miyamoto
Yuriko Miyamoto
was a Japanese novelist active during the Taishō and early Shōwa periods of Japan. Her maiden name was Chūjō 中條 Yuriko.-Early life:Miyamoto Yuriko was born in the Koishikawa district of Tokyo to privileged parents. Her father was a professor of architecture at Tokyo Imperial University...
criticized them, saying it was an example of discrimination.
Upon further investigation the police found over 40 dead bodies in the house of a mortician. Thirty corpses were later discovered in a temple. The sheer number of dead bodies recovered and the length of time over which the murders took place made it difficult for the authorities to determine the exact number of victims. Consequently, the exact death toll remains unknown.
The authorities viewed her homicides as a crime of omission. In the Tokyo District Court
Tokyo District Court
is a district court located at 1-1-4 Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. -References:...
, Ishikawa was sentenced to eight years in prison, Takeshi and Dr. Shiro Nakayama were each sentenced to four years imprisonment. The couple appealed their sentences and in 1952 the Tokyo High Court
Tokyo High Court
is a high court in Kasumigaseki, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. The Intellectual Property High Court is a special branch of Tokyo High Court....
revoked the original sentence and sentenced Ishikawa to four years in prison and Takeshi to two years.
Aftermath
This incident is regarded as the principal reason the Japanese Government began to consider the legalisation of abortion in JapanAbortion in Japan
Abortion is de facto legal in Japan, with some limitations.Approved doctors can practice abortion to anyone who requests it, under the name of Socioeconomic Abortion stated in Maternal Health Protection Law...
. One of the reasons this incident was thought to have occurred was as the result of an increase in the number of unwanted infants born in Japan. On July 13, 1948, the Eugenic Protection Law (now the Mother's Body Protection Law) and a national examination system for midwives was established. On June 24, 1949, abortion for economic reasons was legalised under the Eugenic Protection Law in Japan.
See also
- Most prolific murderers by number of victimsMost prolific murderers by number of victims*For serial killers see: List of serial killers by number of victims*For mass murderers and spree killers see: List of rampage killers...
- Abortion in JapanAbortion in JapanAbortion is de facto legal in Japan, with some limitations.Approved doctors can practice abortion to anyone who requests it, under the name of Socioeconomic Abortion stated in Maternal Health Protection Law...
- InfanticideInfanticideInfanticide or infant homicide is the killing of a human infant. Neonaticide, a killing within 24 hours of a baby's birth, is most commonly done by the mother.In many past societies, certain forms of infanticide were considered permissible...