The girls, ages 4 and 1, survived after landing on protective mats placed below the apartment during a police response.
KAKAMIGAHARA, Japan — A 25-year-old father was arrested on suspicion of attempted murder Saturday after police said he allegedly threw his two young daughters from the balcony of a sixth-floor apartment in Gifu Prefecture, with both children surviving after landing on protective mats below.
Tomokazu Miura was arrested at the scene in Kakamigahara on Sept. 26 after the girls, ages 4 and 1, fell from the apartment during a police response that had begun several hours earlier. Authorities said the children were conscious when they were taken to a hospital and their injuries were not believed to be life-threatening. Police had placed mats below the building before the fall, according to reports citing investigators.
The confrontation began late Friday after Miura’s wife contacted authorities and reported that her husband was acting violently, police said. Reports from Japanese media said the emergency call was made at about 11:30 p.m. Miura lived in the apartment with his wife and their two daughters. Police responded to the building and urged him to come outside, but authorities said he refused to comply and remained inside the residence.
Officers continued their response into the early hours of Saturday. Police eventually moved to enter the apartment after Miura would not come out, according to reports citing investigators. Authorities believe he threw the two girls from the balcony as officers were moving into the residence. The incident occurred at about 4:20 a.m., several hours after the initial emergency call.
Emergency preparations made before officers entered the apartment helped limit the consequences of the fall. Protective mats had been positioned on the ground beneath the building as police prepared for the possibility of an emergency. The two children landed on the mats and were taken for medical treatment. Authorities said both girls were conscious during transport and were not believed to have suffered life-threatening injuries.
Miura, who was described in reports as a part-time worker, was arrested at the scene on suspicion of attempted murder. Police said he remained silent during questioning. No motive has been established publicly, and authorities had not announced additional charges as of Saturday. The allegations against Miura have not been proven in court.
Video from security cameras near the apartment building captured the fall, according to Japanese broadcasters and other news reports. Published footage shows the area around the building during the police response, but the children are not clearly identifiable. The circumstances leading immediately to the girls going over the balcony remain part of the investigation.
The case drew attention in Japan because police had already been at the apartment for hours before the children fell. The wife’s earlier emergency call prompted officers to respond, and the decision to prepare protective mats below the building was made before police entered the residence. Authorities have not publicly detailed all of the decisions made during the response or released a full timeline of their interactions with Miura.
Investigators were continuing to examine what happened inside the apartment and the circumstances surrounding the girls’ fall. Miura remained in custody following his arrest, while the two children were hospitalized. Police had not released further details about their injuries or announced additional developments in the investigation as of Sept. 26.
Author note: Last updated September 26, 2026.