Justice · Iwaki child deathIwaki child assault death: Mother's boyfriend arrested after three-year-old diesWritten November 9, 2026 at 8:03 PM UTCWatchTranscript0:07A three-year-old boy has died, and police have arrested his mother's boyfriend.0:11The family shared an apartment in Iwaki.0:13A property management worker says concerns about possible abuse went back several0:17months.0:18Why the boy died and whether earlier warnings ever reached child protection0:21officials are still unresolved.0:23Police arrested Ryo Matsui, a forty-one-year-old company employee on November nine,0:28Iwaki Chuo Police Station is investigating.0:31Matsui lived with his girlfriend and her three-year old son in the city's Tyra,0:35Kitashirado area.0:37Police allege Matsui grabbed the boy by the neck and threw him inside their0:40apartment.0:41They also accuse him of kicking the child and stepping on his abdomen.0:44They place the assault at about four in the afternoon on November eight.0:48Police allege the violence caused serious internal injuries.0:51The injuries described include a hole in the boy's intestine.0:54The medical cause of his death is still unclear, and investigators are considering0:58whether to pursue an injury, resulting in death case.1:01Matsui reportedly acknowledged the allegation during questioning, saying, That is1:05correct.1:06Police arrested him on suspicion of injury.1:08His response during questioning is part of the investigation, and the allegations1:12still have to be tested in court.1:13The boy's mother called Japan's police emergency number one hundred and ten late1:17that night.1:18She said her boyfriend had assaulted her son.1:20The boy was already receiving hospital treatment when she called.1:23His death was confirmed the following morning.1:25The mother's call came at about eleven fifty p.1:28Um.1:29The hospital was treating her son by then, but it's unclear when he first received1:33medical care.1:34Police plan to send Matsui, still in custody, to prosecutors on November10.1:38The boy's death could change the offense police pursue.1:41For now, Matsui remains under arrest on suspicion of injury.1:45Investigators are considering injury resulting in death while preparing to refer him1:49to prosecutors.1:50That decision is still pending.1:51A property management worker recalled seeing the boy walking and shopping and1:55described him as lively.1:57The same worker said concerns about possible abuse had surfaced months earlier.2:00One or two concerns had come from people nearby, and the worker said checks had been2:04made.2:05The worker described occasions when the boy was put outside on a balcony at night or2:08shut inside a car.2:09These are the workers' recollections of earlier events.2:12The worker said the conduct had been described as discipline.2:15The worker also recalled asking the mother whether things were alright.2:18There had been discussion of contacting a child consultation center if the situation2:22became worse.2:23Whether that discussion led to a formal warning is one of the unanswered questions.2:26Awaki's responsible municipal department declined to answer questions about2:30consultation with the child consultation center because the case was under2:33investigation.2:34It's still unclear whether officials received an earlier warning or whether anyone2:38took protective action.Read the articleStory timelineHeyDex
