日本東京都國立市北三丁目發生一起震驚全國的弒母案件。一名74歲的女子小峰陽子（Komine Yoko）主動致電警方報案，聲稱：「我殺了我102歲的母親。」警方接報後立即趕到現場，發現她的母親小峰福（Komine Fuku） 倒臥在臥室床上，頸部有多處傷口與明顯勒痕，雖緊急送醫搶救，但仍被宣告死亡。警方當場以「涉嫌故意殺人罪」逮捕小峰陽子。

這起事件發生在一棟位於安靜住宅區的老式平房內。據悉，小峰一家早在70多年前就搬入這裡居住，該住所見證三代人的生活與變遷。鄰居透露，小峰的父親生前在附近一間大公司任職，直到退休才回家安養；母親小峰福則是典型的家庭主婦，性格嚴厲而保守。小峰陽子是家中長女，還有一名比她小一歲的妹妹。

據當地居民回憶，小峰陽子年輕時曾嫁到北海道，育有兩名子女，並已有兩個孫子。大約15年前 她因離婚返回娘家，與年邁的父母同住。然而回家的過程並不順利，當時她的母親曾情緒激動地責罵：「滾出去！離婚還回來讓家裡丟臉！」這番話讓小峰陽子一度離家，搬到鄰近的立川市暫住約兩年。不過她仍經常回來探望父母，最終在母親態度軟化後重新回到國立市的老家，與雙親共同生活。

鄰居們形容，小峰一家生活樸素，不追求享樂，甚至家裡多年未裝冷氣。庭院裡的植物都由小峰陽子親自照料。雖然母女倆都沒有固定工作，但據說家中並不拮据，可能有相當的積蓄。附近的家庭醫師會定期上門診療，政府派遣的照護人員也會每週一次到訪，協助年邁的母親洗澡與檢查身體。

小峰陽子的父親在約三四年前因摔倒導致腿部骨折，住院期間不幸感染新冠肺炎後過世。從那之後，家中只剩下小峰陽子與高齡的母親相依為命。鄰居表示，小峰陽子每天早上約十點會到離家200公尺遠的超市逛逛，這似乎是她唯一的放鬆時光。「她應該是照顧母親一整天後，出門走走透透氣。」一位鄰居如此說道。

然而，長期照護的壓力顯然早已悄悄累積。鄰居指出，小峰陽子性格內向、少言寡語，幾乎從未向人傾訴過困難，也沒有尋求任何社會機構的支援。對於一名年逾七旬的女子而言，獨自照顧一位百歲長者無疑是極為艱難的任務。有人也曾建議她將母親送至養老院，但她似乎從未考慮過。居民推測，這可能是因為她的母親強烈反對離家生活，即使身體逐漸衰弱，也堅持待在自己的房子裡。

案發前兩天，曾有鄰居在街上遇見小峰陽子，發現她神情異常憔悴，看上去極度疲倦。沒想到短短幾日後，竟發生這樣的悲劇。

警方目前正在調查案件的具體動機。初步懷疑，小峰陽子可能因長期照護壓力與精神疲憊導致情緒崩潰，最終犯下弒母行為。鄰居們對此深感震驚與同情，有人甚至表示願意為她撰寫減刑請願書，認為她多年來對母親盡心照顧，罪行背後更多的是悲劇與絕望，而非冷血與惡意。

這起案件再次引發日本社會對「高齡照護」與「老老相依」現象的關注。隨著日本進入超高齡化社會，越來越多如小峰母女般的家庭陷入孤立無援的照護困境，悲劇也因此一再重演。

A tragic family incident in Japan has shocked the nation. In Kunitachi City, Tokyo, a 74-year-old woman named Yoko Komine called the police and confessed, “I killed my mother.” When officers arrived at the house in the quiet residential district of Kita 3-chome, they found her 102-year-old mother, Fuku Komine, lying unconscious on her bed with multiple neck wounds and strangulation marks. She was rushed to the hospital but was pronounced dead shortly after arrival. Police arrested Yoko Komine on the spot on suspicion of murder.

The Komine family had lived in their modest one-story home for more than 70 years, ever since Yoko was born. Neighbors describe the family as quiet and traditional. Yoko’s father worked at a nearby major company until his retirement, while her mother, Fuku, was a strict homemaker known for her strong personality. Yoko, the eldest of two daughters, was married years ago and moved to Hokkaido, where she had two children and later became a grandmother.

About 15 years ago, following her divorce, Yoko returned to her parents’ home. However, her return was not welcomed at first. Neighbors recall hearing her mother angrily shouting, “Get out! You’ve embarrassed the family by coming back after a divorce!” The tension drove Yoko to move temporarily to the neighboring city of Tachikawa, though she continued to visit her parents regularly. Eventually, after her mother softened her stance, Yoko moved back into the family home permanently.

The Komine household was known for its frugal lifestyle. They had no air conditioning and tended their own garden plants. Despite neither Yoko nor her mother working in recent years, the family was believed to have sufficient savings. A home-care worker visited once a week to help Fuku with bathing, and a local doctor provided periodic home visits.

About three or four years ago, Yoko’s father fell, broke his leg, and was hospitalized. During his stay, he contracted COVID-19 and passed away. Since then, Yoko had lived alone with her elderly mother, serving as her sole caregiver. Neighbors said that every morning around 10 a.m., Yoko would go to a supermarket about 200 meters away — not necessarily to shop, but perhaps to get some fresh air and a short break. “Caring for an elderly parent is exhausting,” one neighbor explained. “She never complained or asked anyone for help, but you could tell it was wearing her down.”

Despite her own age and frail health, Yoko continued to look after her mother without assistance. Neighbors wondered why she never placed her mother in a nursing facility. “Money wasn’t the issue,” one said. “It’s likely her mother refused to leave the house.” A few days before the incident, Yoko was seen looking extremely fatigued and emotionally drained — a sign, perhaps, of the breaking point to come.

Police believe that Yoko may have killed her mother in a moment of emotional and physical exhaustion, the result of years of isolation and overwhelming caregiving stress. Investigators are still examining the precise motive, but the case has stirred widespread sympathy in Japan. Some locals have even suggested writing a petition for leniency, emphasizing that Yoko had cared for her mother diligently for years and that the crime reflected despair more than cruelty.

This tragedy has reignited national debate over Japan’s aging society and the growing crisis of “elderly caregivers caring for even older parents.” As the country’s population continues to age, more families like the Komines are trapped in a cycle of loneliness and burnout — a heartbreaking reminder of the social cost of Japan’s demographic decline.