Kyoto Police Warn of Misinformation on Arrested Father of Deceased Boy

Kyoto, April 25 (Jiji Press)–Kyoto prefectural police are warning the public about misinformation spreading on social media regarding the high-profile case in which an 11-year-old boy was found dead and his 37-year-old father was arrested this month. The police are concerned that such ungrounded information could impede their investigation. Since before the arrest of the father, social media posts claiming that the perpetrator was 24 years old and that a Vietnamese person was involved have spread on X and other platforms. The police have denied that the father is not a foreign national. These posts also include one showing a video of apparent parental abuse believed to be unrelated to the arrested father and the deceased son, and one claiming that the two lived separately. A Taiwanese television broadcaster reported that the stepfather of the boy was Chinese, but later admitted the report was false and released a statement of apology on its website. The broadcaster said that the report was based on information circulating on social media in Japan. Meanwhile, some social media posts cited a specific facility for disposing of captured hazardous birds and animals, such as deer and wild boars, as the arrested father’s former workplace and also claimed that police would search the facility. The city government that manages the facility was flooded with phone calls asking about these claims. “Everything is wrong, except that the facility exists,” a city official said. “We’re bewildered by the spread of false information, which is disrupting our business.” “Posting and spreading ungrounded information could damage the honor and privacy of those involved, as well as hinder police investigations,” the Kyoto prefectural police department said in a statement, asking for calm responses, such as checking the credibility of information sources and senders. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]