Mother served fresh warrant over another assault of girl before death

"failing to stop her husband for abusing"

What about the the child services, the police, and the teachers whom Mia asked for help? Aren't they going to be charged, too? We already know the parents are guilty, there's no point in charging them again and again and revealing details about how guilty they are. What we need is authorities' head rolling, otherwise nothing will change.

Strangerland - agree wholeheartedly.

Expression of love differs in different countries, to make a blank statement like not enough love in Japan, is simply not right.

Having said that, there was not enough love in Mia's family.

Truly sad.

I've often said, there is not enough love in Japan. Have you ever seen Japanese family members hug and kiss when greeting each other? Of course not!

You're evaluating a separate culture through the lens of your cultural upbringing. Hugging and kissing are cultural expressions of love - they are not love themselves. The absence of them does not mean a lack of love, as love can be expressed in other ways.

Evaluating another culture based on your own cultural lens is a sure way to make mistaken assumptions such as there being 'not enough love in Japan'.

Discipline is dispensed, out of love.

Problem is abusive parents don't see themselves as abusive or unloving. They're usually like this guy, under the delusion it's ultimately for the child's good.

Discipline is self-control. It comes from within. The best way children learn it is having it modeled by the parent, and also having regular schedules in daily life: i.e., we wake up at the same time every morning, brush teeth every night, do homework before screen time, etc. Abusive parents are often obsessed with how their child makes them feel, so they do not model or instill self-discipline. They change the rules in the middle of the game, get angry willy-nilly when the child doesn't catch on to new arbitrary rules fast enough. That only teaches the child fear and that if you're in a position of power, lashing out when your feelings demand it is ok.

I have a 7-year old daughter.  My eyes teared up a bit when I read about the father beating her head against the floor with his knees pressed against her back.  I closed my eyes and saw my daughter's face thinking about that.  I can't imagine any of my children ever doing anything that could possibly make me want to hurt them like this.  Regardless of the upbringing that the parents may have experienced, there is no excuse for this.  This little girl Mia was tortured under the guise of discipline.  The only fitting sentence for the Father is the death penalty.  That is much more merciful than he ever was to his poor little girl.

@blue in green - Discipline is dispensed, out of love.

Actually, discipline is based on morals. Parents with delusional morals use delusional forms of discipline. However, you are correct about love. I've often said, there is not enough love in Japan. Have you ever seen Japanese family members hug and kiss when greeting each other? Of course not!

It's hard to believe such monsters exists; and somehow in their warped minds, they believe that such "discipline" is right... As a father of three, the small guys often drive me and my wife crazy, but never ever thought of hitting them

This woman was probably Mia's only hope, instead she sacrificed her own daughter, to stay alive.

If she even has a conscience, that ought to haunt her for the rest of her life.

Appropriate "discipline" in Japan, needs to be retaught / addressed, PDQ.

Inflicting mental, emotional, and physical injuries/scars, is not discipline.

Discipline is dispensed, out of love.

the father told investigators he did not believe his actions were wrong, claiming they were meant to "discipline" her, 

Japan behind closed doors!

It is likely he was subjected to similar 'discipline' when he was a child. Talking to Japanese people about how they were disciplined as a child is quite shocking. Yes, most people above 30 were smacked and some had a strap used on them. However, there are also many callous abuses you will hear about. Just about everybody I speak to has been locked on a balcony during winter and starved as discipline. Then, there are quite who have been locked in cupboards and wardrobes as well. It's only recently that the seriously callous cases are being reported. Things like being scolded with boiling water, put in a cold shower, being punched and kicked and cigarette burns, all in the name of discipline. I often see people lashing out at their kids in public. I saw one woman pinch a huge grab of skin on her 7-8 y/o daughter and twist until she screamed because she was being a 7-8 y/o on the train. I saw another woman smack her son to the ground at the train station because he interrupted her playing Candy Crush by asking her for a drink in the middle of summer. I can not count the amount of times I've seen parents smack their kids in the head in public either. All in the name of discipline. If I see so many viscous attacks in public, I can only imagine what kinds of physical and verbal abuses these kids are subjected to 'behind closed doors'.