TOKYO (TIP): The 7-year-old Japanese boy who went missing nearly a week ago after his parents left him in a forest as punishment was found unharmed on June 3, police said, in a case that had set off a nationwide debate about parental disciplining.

The boy, missing since Saturday, was found Friday morning by a soldier in a military drill area on the northernmost main island of Hokkaido. The boy identified himself as Yamato Tanooka (Tah-noh-oh-kah), the name of the boy who went missing, police said.

Kyodo News service reported that the boy told police he had been in the drill area for several days after walking alone in the forest. NHK TV said his parents identified their son, who was taken to a hospital by helicopter for checkups.