More details emerge over fatal abuse of 10-year-old girl by father

The children are being killed, committing suicide, and screaming out for help and the system fails them. For a country that desperately needs its future generation, it sure isn't doing much to secure its future.

"The decision to let her return home (from the center) was reasonable but our handling of the case after that was insufficient," said Hitoshi Nihei, head of the center in Chiba's Kashiwa city.

You think???

Honestly, given this additional information, it makes this poor girl's death all the more horrific!! Clearly it could have been prevented.

Too often public officials do not want to "get involved" or "interfere" in these matters. They also do not want to be troubled by having to deal with these types of cases.

Mia did everything she could to survive and the adults she depended on and turned to failed her completely!

Horrific!

First to the mother;

Mia's 31-year-old mother, whose name has not been released, has also told investigators her husband did not stop his abusive behavior despite her pleas, investigative sources said Tuesday.

And just what did you do to ensure the safety of your child? You cried and screamed at your husband but took no steps to protect her?

Next to the city officials;

The center said at a press conference on Monday that neither its officials nor her school staff had visited Mia's home after her period of protective custody ended as they believed she did not face imminent danger.

"The decision to let her return home (from the center) was reasonable but our handling of the case after that was insufficient," said Hitoshi Nihei, head of the center in Chiba's Kashiwa city.

All you are doing is making excuses to cover your own arses here! There was a pattern and history of absue, you took the child away into protective custody, yet you failed to follow up on it!

Everyone looking to cover their butts, and one poor child dead! Read that again DEAD, because everyone is looking to pass the buck on responsibility!

All these folks should be charged with neglect!

@Strangerland,

With regards to the below:

Neither of the above extreme is good, and therefore we need to try to find the correct balance between leaving kids with their parents where possible, and taking them away when necessary.

It goes without saying that the organizations involved don't always get it right and, in many cases, it is a thankless job. I get that.

And, when I read about some of the over-the-top interference in families in the U.S. by child services or the equivalent, it is equally troubling.

What I was reacting to was this:

The center said at a press conference on Monday that neither its officials nor her school staff had visited Mia's home after her period of protective custody ended as they believed she did not face imminent danger.

The idea that they would not schedule follow up visits to check on her welfare is what I found troubling.

Doubly so because of this:

Kurihara had told the school that Mia was staying in Okinawa Prefecture with her mother.

Which, given the previous abuse, should have been a huge red flag.

Look, these jobs are thankless and difficult. And they don't always get it right. But, in this case, clearly the system broke down or the proper protocols weren't in place to follow up with the family and child.

And as for this:

Too much moral outrage in the world these days.

I don't mind saying that I am.... horrified.... that this happened. I am horrified that the system failed this girl. And, dang it, in this case, it may have been preventable.

It's not about scapegoating just because of wanting to blame something / someone. Its the idea that things can be done better. And when it comes to the lives of children, finding a way to do it better should be a priority for the adults responsible for their welfare.

All these folks should be charged with neglect!

Agreed!!

Every time, it is the same old deep bows and empty apologies! But no one ever gets fired, charged or really held responsible!

Why there's a parents can do such thing. Seeing my child crying I was crying too. And to see her in coffin Oh, God! This maker me go crazy dunno maybe I kill my husband.

Got into "a scuffle" with a 10 year old girl...

How do people not choke on their tongue when they say things like that?

Police said Monday that the autopsy on Mia had failed to identify the cause of death, with no major injuries or diseases directly linked to it. She had also not suffered from malnutrition.

Are they insinuating that she spontaneously died?

The center said at a press conference on Monday that neither its officials nor her school staff had visited Mia's home after her period of protective custody ended as they believed she did not face imminent danger.

Wait! There are two officials at the Child Welfare Center? That may explain, in part, the shocking incompetence in protecting children.

Nihei said the center had determined that the abuse had not been severe and its basic policy after ending protective custody was "watching over her at school."

'Authority figures' in Japan need to learn about the pervasive emotional abuse and potential (likely) effects that extend from it. Sorry, but to effectively combat it, they are gonna have to upset the wa in order to do so. Save the next 10 year old!

Mia's death comes at a time when the Japanese government has pledged to improve measures to prevent child abuse following the death of 5-year-old Yua Funato in Tokyo in March last year, who had written "forgive me" in a notebook in begging her parents to stop mistreating her.

Well.. seeing as there was a 'pledge' - let's get an update on what has exactly has been reformed since.. 'the pledge'... [crickets chirping]. The death of these children is also on the LDP along with the people that were directly responsible for her well-being.

Insufficient information sharing among public entities was seen as one of the factors behind the high-profile abuse case.

Screw the wa! Get in there! Get dirty! And reform! In the age of information, it's not hard to have this information shared across some mainframes. You can even do that with Windows XP systems. Where there's a will, there's a way...

This girl did everything in her power to protect herself short of running away from home. She went to the authorities and relied on them to protect her. They failed her. Family law in Japan is a joke as they are unable to take a child away unless it's in immenent danger. Yet more proof of the utter incompetence of Japan's legal system.

May true Justice (not the Japanese show remorse get away with murder kind) be done unto him and all who abuse children (or anyone for that matter)

Taking children away from the homes is something to be avoided if at all possible. It should only be done as a last resort. There has to be a balance between:

Well said. As with everything in life, there has to be a balance.

-- taking kids away from their parents for the tiniest little thing, thereby nearly eliminating incidents like this but with the cost of a whole lot of other children not being raised by their families

Absolutely. This is a very serious problem in the west.

-- leaving all kids with their families, thereby ensuring all children are raised by their families but with the cost of some children dying

And this is what's happening in Japan.

BOTH approaches are wrong. Like SL said, there has to be a balance. A compromise. BOTH current approaches are obviously completely wrong.

What a mad world... lock him before he goes to the next kid for whatever the reason he may find to beat her to death.

I agree with this. It's correct. And it's fine to condemn the system. But people here are condemning those who are bound by the system, and without any kind of investigation at that.

Unfortunately, and I don't really like the idea, sometimes tough action has to be taken against individuals in order to drive home the point and force the system to take things more seriously,

The proverbial "making an example out of someone".

It's not always fair and not always just. Of course, if there is a way to force the system to change without unfairly / excessively punish individuals, then that would be good.

I am reminded of police officers in the U.S. who make split second decisions on the use of force, where it is clearly a good faith judgement call and they end up losing their career because of it. And yet it is done in order to force police departments to make changes.

There is no right answer, I suppose, but clearly the system failed this poor girl.

There is no right answer, I suppose, but clearly the system failed this poor girl.

And I meant to add that most certainly the parents failed this poor girl.

It seems to me that the failure was in not removing the father.  It was the father that needed monitoring.  A daily check-in with the police, maybe?

The mother should have done more than plea. Useless.

Wait! There are two officials at the Child Welfare Center? That may explain, in part, the shocking incompetence in protecting children

It says 'neither [the centre] officials nor the school staff' - I'm assuming there are more than two officials, but neither the centre nor the school followed up.

Anyway, for people blaming the mother, we should consider the possibility of the mother being abused or fearing reprisal from the father. It's rarely as simple as 'she didn't do anything'

This man deserve a very long time in jail,and his wife should be investigated as well.

If all such abuses were perpetrated during months or even years she might be involved too.

Sometime humans are capable to extremely despicable acts.

Poor little girl,may her soul rest in peace.

This case just gets sicker and sicker as more details are revealed. It’s difficult not to blame the family services, but they have their limits. Their goal is to unite families, not split them up. I also think the mother should be sharing some of the blame. She was aware of the abuse and did nothing about it. Inaction can make one just as guilty.

"The decision to let her return home (from the center) was reasonable but our handling of the case after that was insufficient," said Hitoshi Nihei, head of the center in Chiba's Kashiwa city.

Nihei said the center had determined that the abuse had not been severe and its basic policy after ending protective custody was "watching over her at school."

The abuse happened at home, not at school,

who would watch her there?

The mother left her alone with an abusive father.

What an utter nightmare this poor girl faced-

The adults supposed to look after welfare were either abusive, neglectful, or downright indifferent.

"The decision to let her return home (from the center) was reasonable but our handling of the case after that was insufficient,"

How was it reasonable? The girl is dead as a result of being let go home and having the city pay no visits. How many times does this need to happen, and the judges in court parrot this kind of comment ("Not guilty, but we recognise that...")?

Look, these jobs are thankless and difficult. And they don't always get it right. But, in this case, clearly the system broke down or the proper protocols weren't in place to follow up with the family and child.

I agree with this. It's correct. And it's fine to condemn the system. But people here are condemning those who are bound by the system, and without any kind of investigation at that.

Is it? Because I suspect you are coming to this determination through reading articles like this on Japan Today,

You would suspect wrong. I don't only read japan today and unlike you I will not assume anything about you.

without actually knowing the specifics as to the other side of the matter - ie how often they do take kids away and not return them. And how they determined in this situation that it was ok to return the child.

Just what determination is that? leaving all kids with their families, thereby ensuring all children are raised by their families but with the cost of some children dying?

Be honest, have you done any particular research when making the determination that this is what is happening in Japan, or did you come to that conclusion through articles read in the news?

both. the news can provide good research depending on the article. I actually have checked on whether or not child abuse is neglected in japan or not. Have YOU?

http://www.japansubculture.com/child-abuse-in-japan-why-japan-keeps-returning-abused-kids-to-their-parents-until-they-are-killed/

You would suspect wrong. I don't only read japan today and unlike you I will not ASSUme anything about you.

I was making an assumption, and willing to be proven wrong, which is why I asked if my assumption was correct.

But if you have done other research to show that:

-- leaving all kids with their families, thereby ensuring all children are raised by their families but with the cost of some children dying

Now, I read the article you presented, but it's an opinion piece, one that can be written very easily with confirmation bias. I'm not concerned with that - I can read the articles about these things happening, and be horrified by them along with everyone else, but when making a determination as to what is actually happening, I want some actual research, not just an opinion that has not fact-checked itself.

The mother appears highly culpable as well, although she probably was conflicted and without avenues for official support.

It says 'neither [the centre] officials nor the school staff' - I'm assuming there are more than two officials, but neither the centre nor the school followed up.

Thanks! Was in a hurry and completely misread the sentence, and was being a little obtuse, anyway, to make a point.

Mia's 31-year-old mother, whose name has not been released, has also told investigators her husband did not stop his abusive behavior despite her pleas, investigative sources said Tuesday.

And just what did the mother do? Just get down on her hands and knees and begged to stop? Yeah right! I'm sure that really helped (sarcasm). These kinds of stories about innocent children being abused and killed really makes my blood boil. I really hope they throw the book at him and others in the nick where he's headed will know this too well so they can deal with him.

equal prison for the mother. i left a partner a while ago who i lived with and loved. they abused my dog when i was not there. after a couple of weeks of heartbreak, me and my dog moved on and had a wonderful life together. Mia's mother should of done the same. Now Mia is dead because of her.

The only person to blame is the father. If only Japan system can protect the truly innocent victims as they can indict a person on non-existent charges. I remember in the news a lady was murdered by her stalker, which was reported earlier and the police did nothing. If only the police are smart enough and can decide for themselves...

may your soul rest in peace little angel, this is horrible :-(

The center said at a press conference on Monday that neither its officials nor her school staff had visited Mia's home after her period of protective custody ended as they believed she did not face imminent danger.

If you release a lamb in a cage with a wild animal, would it be safe to believe the lamb would be in no imminent danger?

Nihei said the center had determined that the abuse had not been severe and its basic policy after ending protective custody was "watching over her at school."

Let someone else be responsible for her safety even though its the sole role of the center. Unbelievable!

the police also said they did not think her case required an immediate response.

Sums up most reported police cases which ends with the person in need of the police, dead. smh

My question is what punishment did the father have to deal with after they took away the little girl for the first time? I mean during the 7 weeks she was taken away?

Also, why is the mother being protected? She had many different options to get help for her daughter and save her life, (take her daughter to a family's home, report her man-child to the PROPER authorities, have her daughter placed in immediate foster care, and the list can go on) but she did nothing.

"The center said at a press conference on Monday that neither its officials nor her school staff had visited Mia's home after her period of protective custody ended as they believed she did not face imminent danger."

....we now know that was wrong. However, jumping in and declaring that all children in that situation should be removed from the parents immediately and permanently opens another can of worms. It is a tricky situation and not one that can be solved with simple answers.

I was making an assumption, and willing to be proven wrong, which is why I asked if my assumption was correct.

You didn't ask. You made an assumption.

Here's your quote:

Because I suspect you are coming to this determination through reading articles like this on Japan Today,

Now, I read the article you presented, but it's an opinion piece, one that can be written very easily with confirmation bias.

As can any piece of news. No news is unbiased. we all read news and can come to different opinions. I was addressing the assumpion YOU made that I was getting my news from this site. I wasn't.

I'm not concerned with that - I can read the articles about these things happening, and be horrified by them along with everyone else, but when making a determination as to what is actually happening, I want some actual research, not just an opinion that has not fact-checked itself.

At least I presented a link that supports my opinion.

-- leaving all kids with their families, thereby ensuring all children are raised by their families but with the cost of some children dying

....

And this is what's happening in Japan.

Is it? Because I suspect you are coming to this determination through reading articles like this on Japan Today, without actually knowing the specifics as to the other side of the matter - ie how often they do take kids away and not return them. And how they determined in this situation that it was ok to return the child.

Be honest, have you done any particular research when making the determination that this is what is happening in Japan, or did you come to that conclusion through articles read in the news?

The idea that they would not schedule follow up visits to check on her welfare is what I found troubling.

Maybe. Without a proper investigation, we can't know. e don't have the information nor the context into the decision making that went into making that decision.

Consider this entirely hypothetical scenario: they may have been so overburdened in their job that they had to make a decision in five minutes, clearly not enough time to make a proper decision. In such a case, who is at fault, the person who made a decision, or the system under which that decision had to be made? In such a case, the system should be condemned and improved. Yet people in this thread are condemning the actual workers, without any kind of investigation yet into what actually happened.

Unfortunately, and I don't really like the idea, sometimes tough action has to be taken against individuals in order to drive home the point and force the system to take things more seriously,

I agree - after a period of due process. Condemnation without investigation is the presumption of guilt over innocence. Presumption of innocence over guilt is one of the fundamental tenets of free societies. In the age of outrage, we presume guilt over innocence, and cannot be bothered to do the work.

There is no right answer, I suppose, but clearly the system failed this poor girl.

Sure, it failed this girl. That is extremely sad. But closing the crack that this girl fell through may lead to countless other children being removed from their families without necessity. As a society, which of those is worse?

Too often public officials do not want to "get involved" or "interfere" in these matters. They also do not want to be troubled by having to deal with these types of cases.

Taking children away from the homes is something to be avoided if at all possible. It should only be done as a last resort. There has to be a balance between:

-- taking kids away from their parents for the tiniest little thing, thereby nearly eliminating incidents like this but with the cost of a whole lot of other children not being raised by their families

-- leaving all kids with their families, thereby ensuring all children are raised by their families but with the cost of some children dying

Neither of the above extreme is good, and therefore we need to try to find the correct balance between leaving kids with their parents where possible, and taking them away when necessary.

So many people read articles like this and condemn the organization that is supposed to be protecting the child. It's easy to condemn in hindsight, but at the time, these people need to make very difficult decisions, with the cost of being wrong being to either take a child away from a family they were safe with, or having a child end up dead. Sometimes they are going to get it wrong. Condemning them as not wanting to get involved, or not wanting to interfere, both ignores the very fact that these people's very jobs is to get involved and interfere, and that it's a really hard job with no easy way of knowing at the time what the right answer is.

Too much moral outrage in the world these days. It's bringing humanity down.