A couple arrested this week after they were found hiding the body of their son in a car trunk are suspected of accepting child care allowances even though the child is dead.
The case is the latest in a series of stories drawing attention to child abuse by relatively young couples mired in financial trouble.
The Osaka Prefectural Police arrested Rena Suzuki, 24, and her partner Yuta Oshima, 22, on Tuesday on suspicion of abandoning the body of Suzuki's son, Ryusei. The couple allegedly hid his body in a cooler with deodorant and ice packs to prevent its discovery, according to police.