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Police in Kobe have arrested a 34-year-old man on suspicion of assault and battery after he forcibly gave his 11-year-old daughter a buzz cut with a hair clipper.
According to Hyogo Prefectural Police, the suspect, a paint industry worker living in Tarumi Ward, gave his daughter the buzz cut sometime between 10:50 p.m. and 1 a.m. on Aug 4-5, Sankei Shimbun reported. He is also accused of kicking the girl in the face earlier that month. She reportedly suffered serious injuries, including an orbital floor fracture.
Before the buzz cut, the girl had hair down to her back. However, she currently has almost no hair on her scalp, police said.
After the incident, the man’s wife contacted police, saying their daughter had run away from home. When police located the girl, the abuse came to light. Besides the buzz cut, she had bruises around her eyes, police said, adding that she has been placed in protective custody at a child welfare facility.
Following his arrest, the father admitted to the charge. He was quoted as saying, “I did it out of discipline because my daughter wouldn’t listen to me.” Police are also questioning the man’s wife about whether the girl endured daily abuse at home.
© Japan Today
34 Comments
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wraither
Checks prefecture.
Hyogo, we meet again.
Kazuaki Shimazaki
How much do you want to bet he'll get a "Suspended Sentence"?
smithinjapan
Abuse is abuse, regardless of the fact that a hair clipping might not be considered serious by some. That said, the kick in the face should have warranted the kid be put in the protection of social services and this man behind bars when THAT happened. But, TIJ. The only "good" thing about this is that it was the father, not the mother, so there is actually a slim chance he might get punished... which no doubt he'll just take it out on the girl when he's ultimately gotten out of it.
Oxycodin
psychonuts!! you could of gave your baby a marine cut before tormenting. You idiot. You dumb. You go and try the US marines wussy
Ken Wyatt
If this isn't the first time, what was the wife playing at?
Do the hustle
Why is the buzz cut the headline? This loser kicked his daughter in the face causing a fracture. There is nothing annoys me more than some loser being an abusive thug to their children. There are two incidents listed in this article, but I have no doubt this pig has been abusing his daughter regularly since she was born.
Meiyouwenti
“The father was arrested for battery, not for giving the daughter short back and sides”
Forcibly cutting someone’s hair constitutes assault and battery.
factchecker
No wonder. What an egregious piece of work for a father this poor kid had the misfortune of being related to.
shogun36
I'm sure she's not the only one. Who would listen to a complete nutcase?
JJ Jetplane
Sounds like someone that neglected being a parent in the beginning and now feels he deserves the respect of having the title "parent." Having a child doesn't make you parent and abuse doesn't earn you respect.
sakurala
Although we don’t have all the details, I can attest to the fact that drunk abusers will wake up children in the middle of the night to hand out “discipline”. We don’t know the whole story, but either way, having to run away after being abused at 1 am doesn’t seem like something a teen or anyone should have to endure.
Mocheake
Another sorry excuse for a father. Hopefully, they'll send this guy away for a bit and when he comes out she won't have to deal with him. I would bet mom may want in on that deal also.
gogogo
What a piece of trash
kurisupisu
Mental health problems obviously-the dad needs help...
Mark
Both the father and the mother should be charged and locked up, as for the girl I wish her full recovery, kids are very strong, it amazing how most of them forgive and move on, Good luck little one.
Ascissor
Yeah, he needs treatment for his condition known formally as "being a complete and utter b'stard".
juminRhee
Don't parents already do this with boys (the buzz cut) for different reasons? Equality one step at a time...
I agree. While I was never forcibly cut, I was facing torment as I didn't want to cut my hair but I didn't want to disappoint my parents. Then later, a friend went into the military and he was so psychologically scarred from his buzz cut. If women can keep theirs, why can't men? Some men find it just as mentally damaging losing their hair as women.
Desert Tortoise
Is the mother culpable or is she also the victim of the father's abuse?
Zaphod
Why does the buzz cut make the news and not THIS? Strange priorities.
therougou
Even this time, it seems she only contacted police because the daughter ran way, not for the abuse. Arrest the wife!
Kobe White Bar Owner
@wraitherToday 03:57 pm JST
Checks prefecture.
Hyogo, we meet again.
you have never been to Kobe have you?
Vanessa Carlisle
I also wondered about this. But it seems this claim about an orbital floor fracture is at this point unproven, is without sufficient evidence and therefore was not the cause of this arrest. Further, the father had not admitted to kicking her nor giving her black eyes. But he did admit to forcibly giving her a buzz cut (assault and battery) and the police could see she did have that buzzcut (and probably damaged scalp too) , therefore they made the arrest based on that and therefore, that is what the headline states. I often complain about headlines but this is legit.
Anyway, there can be little doubt he will confess to the rest in due time, and then the police will wait until near the end of the allowed holding period and re-arrest him for the other accusations.
starpunk
Thank you for posting this. As a kid I was forcibly buzz cut (or greased up) as a kid and my dad didn't listen to me. I got teased and harassed about it even from some teachers. It's ABUSE. Emotional abuse. I was watching all those glam rockers and glam metal bands on TV and wondering why I couldn't be what I wanted to be. I went to the military but since then I grew it out and it's been that way ever since. I don't want to live in my past anymore. Some things in life can be long lasting, make an impact even when others don't think they can or are too stupid to look beyond themselves.
And this dad is no parent, he's a bullying bastard no matter how you cut it.
William Bjornson
WHY was she still living in the same house with a demonstrated abusive parent?
When the tally of "One Cup"s begins to fully blossom in the heart and reveal the true underlying condition of the personality. Powerless at work, powerless at home, and only powerful when fueled by a toxic substance. In some way, we all share this poor man's and daughter's sad experiences being Human. I am very sad for both of them. Why, oh why, does it have to be like this...?
Ah_so
Not necessarily if it's a minor Inn your care. After all, we live in a world where you can remove an infant's foreskin without their consent - at what age does a haircut become assault?
Toshihiro
Dude, you're not in the warring states period where people can just beat the daylights out of someone to discipline them, he's your daughter! I'm willing to bet that this man probably experience the same thing from his elders that shaved his head and beat him to "discipline" him. Let's keep that kind of "discipline" behind us, barbaric practices should be obsolete nowadays.
sir_bentley28
My son is 5 years old with long, flowing hair down to the middle of his back! He does some things to make me angry, but what this guy did to his daughter, I would NEVER DO. Kick my son? Cut his hair because he didn't listen to me? Kids do that! What you say sometimes goes in one ear and comes out the other! No need to psychologically damage this little girl because she didn't listen to your dumb @ss!
darkaura
I said it before and I'll say it again. I am one of those people who love children but probably will not have them. But if I did it's a parents duty to move heaven and hell for their children so they can grow up safe, strong, educated, and happy. I am angered at hearing stuff like this.
MilesTeg
He is also accused of kicking the girl in the face earlier that month. She reportedly suffered serious injuries, including an orbital floor fracture.
Where are child protection services? Why was he not arrested and prosecuted? Why was she placed back at home. She's 11yrs old!!!! Oh but this time he was arrested for cutting her hair......it's open season for deranged parents to abuse their kids in Japan.
Ralph Lake
What is foster care like in Japan? I know that in the US that most runaways are from foster care, and it is not particularly obvious that taking a child from a home and putting them in foster care benefits the child. I know that many parents in the US live in fear of child protective services.
If the father gets put in jail, most likely the mother will be very financially stressed. And it may well be a rebellious child problem who just won't listen to her parents.
If only perfect parents are allowed to raise children, it is no wonder Japan has a birth dearth.
Rdz KJ
First of all, i find very dumb from people here acting like if Japan is a part of usa, which is not, nor either the law system, so stop imposing you judicial ways on ANOTHER SOVEREIGN NATION
He is also accused of kicking the girl in the face earlier that month. She reportedly suffered serious injuries, including an orbital floor fracture.
Yes, this poor girl needs help, but there is a problem within the japanese society that states... "you should not cause problems to other people" , so is no wonder that this girl would not seek out help by her own, that putting aside that also japanese people only real concern is about "public image", without any concern about consequences.
This only translates in abusive situations which don't get to be known by the public eye, or gets regarded as something not important, and swept under the rug by people and judicial system.
Its very sad that a country like Japan cares so little about their youth and their welfare, or even more vicios crimes happening and just give more importance to "saving face" than doing the right thing and bring justice