Big Indonesian baby gets invite despite cries of exploitation

JAKARTA (Kyodo) Doctors have invited a gigantic 1-month-old Indonesian baby to Japan to closely monitor his development, a Jakarta-based private television network said Saturday.

Metro TV reported that the baby boy was invited by the Japanese Medical Association and will be sponsored by a domestic television network. He will leave for Japan by month's end after the Japanese Consulate General in Medan, on the island of Sumatra, finishes processing his visa.

But the plan to bring the baby to Japan has sparked controversy, despite his doctor's support, as some of his neighbors claim he will be exploited by Japanese doctors and media.

Akbar Risuddin, whose given name means "great" in Arabic, became Indonesia's heaviest-ever baby when he was born on Sept. 21 in a Medan hospital weighing 8.7 kg and measuring 62 cm long. His weight has since risen to 9 kg.

The baby was delivered by his diabetic 41-year-old mother through a complicated Caesarean section due to his extreme weight.

The former record holder in Indonesia was a 6.9 kg baby boy, who was born in the town of Karanganyar in Central Java Province last year.

The Guinness Book of World Records says the heaviest baby ever, weighing 10.8 kg, was born to Anna Bates of Canada in 1879, but died 11 hours later.