Vietnamese arrested in Japan for abandoning infant’s body

Nguyen Long Thai, 34, on Wednesday told the police of Yorii Town in Saitama Prefecture that his wife was in a critical condition, Japanese media reported.

When health workers arrived, they discovered that Thai’s wife, also Vietnamese, was bleeding and felt pain in her stomach. She was rushed to the hospital.

When the doctor asked, Thai’s wife said her infant had died prematurely and the body had already been buried along the Arakawa River.

The police came to the site and discovered the body of the infant, with rocks placed on top of it. Thai was arrested to be investigated. Thai’s wife had prematurely given birth in a toilet, according to an investigation.

While Japanese law states that Vietnamese workers and apprentices in the country are entitled to all maternity rights and support as Japanese workers, several Vietnamese workers said they were threatened by companies to quit if they got pregnant while working in Japan.

Facing deportation for not having a job, many decide not to reveal their pregnancies.

Around 202,000 Vietnamese technical apprentices are studying and working in Japan as of June 2021, according the Japan International Cooperation Agency.