Yua Funato is seen in this image taken from the Facebook page of her mother Yuri Funato.
crime

Man says he abused stepdaughter because efforts to discipline her didn't work

36 Comments

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36 Comments
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This guy is the worst human being I think I've ever heard of.

13 ( +15 / -2 )

It is disgusting to read his excuses.

14 ( +14 / -0 )

@northernlife.

I will be surprised if he gets more than 10 years. His X-Wife got 8 I think, so I could see the broken Japanese legal system only giving him 10 years.

5 ( +7 / -2 )

He said he came home one day and found her sleeping instead of doing an assignment he had told her to do. He got pissed off. He got on top of her and punched her face repeatedly. Then he threw her in the bathtub and made her sit in cold water...

Makes me sick and so upset! What a loser!!!

I seriously hope he gets the harshest punishment (not the death penalty). He needs to pay for what he did!!

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Sick dude, but it happen every day sadly.

You don't solve problems with anger nor violence.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Sadly all too common. Non-biological parents are 17 times more likely to cause a fatal assault toward a child than biological parents.

2 ( +4 / -2 )

She was greatly emaciated and had 170 injuries on her body at the time of death, the prosecutors added.

170 injuries.

On the body of a 5 year old.

I don't even want to imagine the details.

There is absolutely no excuse for this guy. Hope he gets locked up for a long long time.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

I can't read this, this case makes me sick to my stomach. What a poor girl, the way she suffered. 10 years would not be enough. Perhaps just for him we could enact a special torture law?

5 ( +5 / -0 )

You don't solve problems with anger nor violence.

Too right.

it pains me to imagine the terror this child endured.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Oh, how awesome! This loon didn’t have enough intelligence to discipline a toddler so he just beat her into submission. This is a common scenario in Japanese child abuse cases.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

how come nobody thinks of a better way to treat worms like this one... since every legal punishment will never be enough...

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

Animal. This describes him in one word. No heart nor love.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

My "disciplining was unsuccessful, and I started assaulting her as my anger grew"

What a winner of a father.

How could one human treat another human like this, especially a kid? Look at the picture. She was a normal kid. Sleeping, playing and not asking to be abused much less killed.

This makes me want to start a charity to protect children from parents such as this, fire the social workers who failed to save the life of this poor girl, and train a new generation who have the nads to do something when a kid's life is on the line.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Prayers for that poor baby girl.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

A lot of tough talk in this thread. If you really want to be a tough guy, encourage women not to have babies out of wedlock, discourage divorce by encouraging couples staying together and scold unstable men who want to take on the responsibility of someone else's children. Forget your charity and prayers.

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

where was her mother? how did she didint do anything about this??

its just too sad.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This article really infuriates me. This is an extreme case of the norm. She is 5 years old you mentally deranged filth. Control freaks are everywhere in this country.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

"It's inconceivable now that I think about it," Funato answered. "I was not in a mental state to be aware of such a thing back then."

Then what kind of state of mental aware was he that he clearly remembers everything. Sorry not drinking the bad batch of saki...

2 ( +2 / -0 )

This man should be hang to death.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

@Mike James

"This makes me want to start a charity to protect children from parents such as this..."

Yua's tragedy was the final incentive to push me to start a nonprofit foundation, JOEE. Joyful Opportunity English Education. JOEE (dot) jp. Children like Yua are sometimes successfully rescued from abusive parents and put into children's homes where they are protected, fed and given love. I teach English using puppets, songs, games and stories. They love the lessons and are learning native-level pronunciation giving them one small advantage in this country. So many things are stacked against these kids, more should be done for them. If they could speak simple English when they exit the system at age 18, they would have more job opportunities. Yes, Japan must do more to help these children, but individuals can make a positive impact.

6 ( +6 / -0 )

Don’t just enact laws, make their application mandatory and hold the lose responsible for enforcing them to public account. That includes the senior local politicians.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Edit, “hold those responsible”

2 ( +2 / -0 )

He physically abused the girl for failing to live up to his difficult demands, including waking up at 4 a.m.

He is one sick stupid man! I don't understand why have a child and abuse your own flesh and blood?! He deserves to be locked, given 1 meal a day and be awaken 4:00 am everyday. He doesn't have the right to be called a father.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I would be too explicit if I said what I would do to this "man". He deserves to get hanged honestly to say the least. Poor, poor girl stumbling upon such a loser, a low-life.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

When the mother is left alone with the baby. She values ​​relationships even with such a bastard as this guy.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

 would be too explicit if I said what I would do to this "man"

You wouldn't do anything.

-4 ( +0 / -4 )

This is really inhuman, they guy did have to do all that, while there palces where he could have sent the kid if he had failed to raise her. It is indeed soemthing the Government has to strongly enforce the law agians t such actions.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Fourice:

He is one sick stupid man! I don't understand why have a child and abuse your own flesh and blood?!

He abused his STEPdaughter. Not "his own flesh and blood". He did not abuse the other child, which was his biological son.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Being abused as a child is awful. Not to make this about myself, but I remember when was abused by father and every night I'd have massive anxiety going to sleep and I'd always wet the bed by the morning. Physical punishment hurts children more than people realize. It's not just physical but mentally harmful . I feel so sorry for this little girl and what she went through. :(

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Threatening physical violence as a punishment upon a man who inflicted violence as a punishment upon a child , just to show how wrong that man was... How is that showing that violence is wrong? It seems counter-intuitive: "I'll beat you up, because you beat someone up, and beating people up is wrong."

He ought to get a loooong prison sentence; women's shelters and child protection services need a massive budget increase as well as much better, realistic training. The idea that returning a child to parents who have previously abused her is the best thing to do, has failed countless children and led to the deaths of many.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"I couldn't control my emotions," he said. "I believe it is completely my responsibility."

Well it certainly isn’t a 5 year old child’s responsibility! This guy should get the death sentence. NOTHING excuses what he did. Nothing.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

DrakoOct. 4 04:27 pm JST

I will be surprised if he gets more than 10 years. His X-Wife got 8 I think, so I could see the broken Japanese legal system only giving him 10 years.

On the other hand, it will probably be very difficult for him to find a job and live a proper life. If he's sentenced to, like, 50 years, he'd just live a somewhat quiet life in prison, with 3 meals a day and somewhere to sleep. With a shorter sentence he'd have to work hard just to live another day, maybe understanding what's living with only a meal per day...

0 ( +0 / -0 )

I guess when visitation by social worker must be mandatory and any obstruction from parents, must be subject to discplinary action such as one day jail. Social worker asssessment must be completed with no prejudice. I do hope same goes anywhere in this world. Safety and welfare is very important

0 ( +0 / -0 )

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