Miyuki Ishikawa, born 1887 in Kunitomi, graduated from the University of Tokyo and later married Takeshi Ishikawa. She found work at the Kotobuki Maternity Hospital as a midwife and would end up becoming the director of the hospital, a surprising advancement for a woman in her country at the time. Despite little being recorded about her personal life, it would seem as though she lived one serving the new mothers and their children diligently throughout her career. However, at the end of World War II, Ishikawa assumed the grim title of “Oni-Samba” or the “Demon- midwife” as she carried out what is still considered to be the highest rate of infanticide ever to befall Japan. Ishikawa and her accomplices were able to carry out as many as 103 child
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Families that were struggling financially were just some of the patients Ishikawa encountered in the maternity hospital. A place where a midwife, such as Ishikawa, was tasked with caring for the well-being of newborns. And yet, in April of 1994, the Director of the hospital intentionally neglected and let select children die. As Ishikawa and her close peers saw it, the children of the poverty stricken families held no chance in the world, so she took it in her hands to put the infants out of the future misery of potential hardships. Although, her actions proved hypocritical to that notion when Ishikawa and her husband (whom was an accomplice) would attempt to extort money from the parents of the dead infants. Their claim was that it would be cheaper to pay her fee to “take care of” the children rather than the parents struggling to raise the children in a financially burdened household. Initially, Ishikawa was paid for her “services”. Crimes of this nature are referred to as “baby farming” and weren’t exactly unique for the time period, more so common during the post-war era. A number of cases occurred prior to Ishikawa’s crimes and, for most, authorities had turned a blind eye to these crimes resulting in the death of children. Ishikawas weapon of choice became neglect, causing malnutrition, phenomena and even hypothermia, all …show more content…
There is little family or childhood history so it is hard to tie any theories dependent on that information. However, I chose rational choice theory as the key identifying factors for the reason that she simply didn't kill for pleasure but rather a means for reward. Her victims were selected and parents extorted for payment of services, despite the immoral actions being taken. Though it can be speculate d that anger or frustrations about the lack of children of her own as Japan played up the idea that women must live up to the expectation of bearing children and caring for the family as a mother. However, there is more evidence that supports the rational choice theory in the documentation of her actions about what she had done and lack of mention to behavioral cue attested to other
Families that were struggling financially were just some of the patients Ishikawa encountered in the maternity hospital. A place where a midwife, such as Ishikawa, was tasked with caring for the well-being of newborns. And yet, in April of 1994, the Director of the hospital intentionally neglected and let select children die. As Ishikawa and her close peers saw it, the children of the poverty stricken families held no chance in the world, so she took it in her hands to put the infants out of the future misery of potential hardships. Although, her actions proved hypocritical to that notion when Ishikawa and her husband (whom was an accomplice) would attempt to extort money from the parents of the dead infants. Their claim was that it would be cheaper to pay her fee to “take care of” the children rather than the parents struggling to raise the children in a financially burdened household. Initially, Ishikawa was paid for her “services”. Crimes of this nature are referred to as “baby farming” and weren’t exactly unique for the time period, more so common during the post-war era. A number of cases occurred prior to Ishikawa’s crimes and, for most, authorities had turned a blind eye to these crimes resulting in the death of children. Ishikawas weapon of choice became neglect, causing malnutrition, phenomena and even hypothermia, all …show more content…
There is little family or childhood history so it is hard to tie any theories dependent on that information. However, I chose rational choice theory as the key identifying factors for the reason that she simply didn't kill for pleasure but rather a means for reward. Her victims were selected and parents extorted for payment of services, despite the immoral actions being taken. Though it can be speculate d that anger or frustrations about the lack of children of her own as Japan played up the idea that women must live up to the expectation of bearing children and caring for the family as a mother. However, there is more evidence that supports the rational choice theory in the documentation of her actions about what she had done and lack of mention to behavioral cue attested to other