Japanese boy Yamato Tanooka, 7, found alive after missing for 6 days in bear-infested woods

The 7-year-old Japanese boy abandoned in the bear-infested Hokkaido mountains as punishment by his parents has been found alive. Yamato Tanooka prompted a massive search and international concern for his safety after he went missing Saturday.

Yamato had been missing since his parents kicked him out of their car on a mountain road for misbehaving on Saturday. He was left in a wooded area on Hokkaido, where bears are sometimes seen roaming around.

According to the Japan Times, he was found six days later on Friday morning inside a Self-Defence Forces training facility in Shikabe, Hokkaido, about 7km from where he was left behind. He apparently identified himself as the missing child. No immediate information on his condition was made available. He was given food and drink and taken to the hospital since then.

More than 180 rescuers joined the search, including SDF troops, who joined Wednesday. It was feared that he would not be found alive anymore, as the area’s overnight temperature can drop to as low as 7C.

Takayuki Tanooka, Yamato’s father, initially claimed his son wandered off while picking wild vegetables. He later admitted that he and the mother were angry at the boy for throwing stones at people during a park visit. They made him get out of the car on a roadside as punishment. When the father drove back to the spot a few minutes later, Yamato was gone.

There were people around the world who called the parents’ discipline style as abusive. Police are considering whether to charge the parents with child abandonment.

“We have done an unforgivable thing to our child, and we have caused a lot of trouble for everyone,” Tanooka had said. “I just hope he is safe.”