KAGOSHIMA - A mother has been arrested after her three-year-old daughter starved to death in Japan when she was left home alone for more than a week, said police. Saki Kakehashi, 24, is understood to have left her daughter, Noa, for eight days while she went to visit her boyfriend 600 miles away in Kagoshima Prefecture.

The mum admitted the allegations, according to Japan Times, and told investigators she thought it ‘would be alright’ to leave the little girl alone in their apartment in Tokyo’s Ota Ward. When Kakehashi returned from her trip on June 13, she found that Noa was not breathing and called emergency services. The little girl was rushed to hospital where she was later pronounced dead.

Autopsy results showed that Noa died of severe hunger, said an investigative source. The little girl’s stomach was almost empty, while she was suffering with thymic atrophy, often seen in neglected or abused children, the source added.(FA)