Gifu prefectural police have arrested a 33-year-old man on suspicion of abusing his four-year-old daughter by slapping her face with the palm of his hand.
According to police, the unnamed suspect works as an elementary school teacher, Kyodo News reported. Police said he is accused of slapping his daughter’s face at a parking lot near their home in Gifu City at around 8:30 p.m. on Sept 16.
The incident came to light after a relative consulted with police the next day. Police said the man has admitting hitting his daughter to discipline her.
© Japan Today
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Disillusioned
It seems many Japanese parents do not know the difference between discipline and abuse.
BigP
Slapping the girls face is too much these days. Used to be acceptable, but no more. Teacher should know better.
“Relative” equals wife or in-laws? A divorce coming plus perhaps unemployment?
Abbey
Slapping any child's face is unacceptable. Not just a girl's !
wallace
Corporal punishment is banned.
"With the publication of the guidelines for parenting without corporal punishment on 20 February 2020, Japan has clearly and explicitly prohibited all corporal punishment of children. The Act amending the Child Abuse Prevention Law 2000 and the Child Welfare Act 1947 adopted in June 2019 – which will come into force on 1 April 2020 – had already amended article 14(1) of the Child Abuse Prevention Law 2000 to state (unofficial translation):"
Gaijinjland
I’ve seen Japanese parents do this in public more times than I can remember. My friend’s wife even did this to her kid in front of me and wasn’t shy about it because her kid was being a little sh!t and, in her mind, deserved it.
Gazman
Wow, I work in a tourist location and have seen a mother actually punch her daughter in the face…..I was stopped from intervening because it would ‘look bad on the company’…..if they’re going to arrest this guy (rightly) then they’re going to be very busy as I see that more than once a week where I work.
Tell_me_bout_it
So parents cannot discipline their children spanking?
quercetum
No, this law banning physical abuse includes physical punishment. An abused victim's perpetrator's father claimed he was disciplining his child in a case that led to the death of the child. Spanking is generally accepted but physical punishments are hard to monitor without the help of neighbors who generally keep to themselves and avoid the business of others. Below from JT a few years ago.
The Japanese government will start next month reviewing a Civil Code provision that states the parental right to discipline their children, deeming it has been used as an excuse in serious child abuse cases, Justice Minister Takashi Yamashita said Friday.
The move comes as a bill banning parents and other guardians from physically punishing children passed the lower house on Tuesday with a unanimous vote.
Article 822 of the Civil Code stipulates a person who exercises parental authority may discipline a child to the extent necessary for its care and education in the child's interests.
Among recent cases, 10-year-old Mia Kurihara died at her home in Chiba Prefecture in January after her father allegedly splashed her with cold water and deprived her of food and sleep. The father told investigators he was "disciplining" her.
In March last year, 5-year-old Yua Funato died in Tokyo, leaving desperate pleas for her parents to "forgive" her and stop mistreating her. Her father also said he hit Yua to "discipline" her.
cleo
There is no need ever to spank a child.
Corporal punishment does not teach a child not to misbehave: it teaches him/her that physical abuse of someone unable to retaliate is a useful means of getting your own way. A child raised on slaps and spankings learns that it’s OK to ‘punish’ people smaller and weaker than themselves, regardless of whether those weaker people are in the wrong.
Nihon Tora
I imagine it must have been pretty bad for a relative to go to the police about it.
There does need to be a bit of perspective though - does the parent just need some education and training on how to discipline the child without hitting her, rather than criminal charges being brought?
What do you do when your child will not stop their bad behaviour no matter how much you tell them to stop - I have this experience with one of my children - they know full well that they are doing wrong, but they continue to do it anyway no matter how much you try to reason with or admonish them. Deliberately testing the limits. It can be incredibly infuriating trying to deal with a badly behaving child, even worse when there is more than one, parents are often tired and stressed and in this country, out in public there is also a strong social pressure to deal with bad behaviour quickly. All of this has to be taken into account when considering how to deal with an incident like this - was there a pattern of abusive behaviour, or had the person just been pushed beyond his limit on this occasion?
itsonlyrocknroll
Far more stealth ways of enforcing discipline in the home without physical punishment.
My Mother was/is an consummate expert in preventive child and now nephews nieces misbehavior.
itsonlyrocknroll
Once Mother arrested Sofie my fluffy Cocker Spaniel, and Henry Hedgehog, detained Gordan my friendly furry German Shepard and sent to Toy Jail under the stairs, positioned them staring out through the lattice work, as my five-year-old lower lip wobbled inconsolably.
All until I fully understood and accepted my behavior will not be tolerated.
nosuke
My dad use to whip me with a belt if I was naughty child but never at age 4 or 7 but I wonder how hard he slapped a 4 year old in face?
njca4
There are always other ways to disclipline young children.
My old man told me that smacking us when we were young was one of his regrets.
garypen
Conversely, I don't think I've ever seen a Japanese parent scold a child in public. OTOH, I see plenty of kids running around in stores and restaurants, screaming and stomping, without ever being told that they are acting inappropriately.
itsonlyrocknroll
The question is which J agency is best placed to lead or more to the point statutory duty for the welfare of this child.
There must be a team of social workers, that align with the police, local authority, child protection system.
The state cannot take over the responsibility of parenthood/upbringing disciplining of a child in the home.
At the same time, slapping a 4-year-old child is deemed an unacceptable form of discipline.
However what is the acceptable practical solution?
I am not sure if the court system is best means to find a solution here.
kaimycahl
If I were the police I would beat hit him and say I arrested and disciplined him for child abuse under public law.
the man has admitting hitting his daughter to discipline her.
kaimycahl
@Nihon Tora Have you thought that perhaps the relative that reported the incident may have seen the abuse on more than one occasion and had enough and decided it was time to report the abuse? Perhaps the relative knows more than what you are thinking. You mentioned there needs to be a bit of perceptive so I decided to ask you this. At what age does a kid really know right from wrong? You have a parent here and you said the parent needs some kind of education and training. LMFAO I bet the parent didn't need any education or training to make the child. No parent is perfect we learn as we grow but we should be patient because a you are only an adult once and a child twice. It takes patience when you are young and when you become old. You are saying the parent needs some education and training lets say the child must be on the spectrum, aspergers or are ADHD at a young age and a child is very problematic that is something a parent should think about. If you say training then I can agree training or get educated to look for such symptoms especially if the child had repeated behaviors. You say your children know the difference from right and wrong but every child is not the same, just as your thinking and mine is not the same. Being a parent requires patience, understanding comes with be educated that if a kids acts out as a parent you should try to find out WHY the kids is acting in such a way ESPECIALLY IF THEY ARE REPEATED ACTS.
I imagine it must have been pretty bad for a relative to go to the police about it.
There does need to be a bit of perspective though - does the parent just need some education and training on how to discipline the child without hitting her, rather than criminal charges being brought?
What do you do when your child will not stop their bad behaviour no matter how much you tell them to stop - I have this experience with one of my children - they know full well that they are doing wrong, but they continue to do it anyway no matter how much you try to reason with or admonish them. Deliberately testing the limits. It can be incredibly infuriating trying to deal with a badly behaving child, even worse when there is more than one, parents are often tired and stressed and in this country, out in public there is also a strong social pressure to deal with bad behaviour quickly. All of this has to be taken into account when considering how to deal with an incident like this - was there a pattern of abusive behaviour, or had the person just been pushed beyond his limit on this occasion?
Strangerland
What do you do when your child will not stop their bad behaviour no matter how much you tell them to stop - I have this experience with one of my children - they know full well that they are doing wrong, but they continue to do it anyway no matter how much you try to reason with or admonish them.
So basically, pretty much like every kid ever.
Buy a parenting book maybe? And oh yeah, a big one is that you don't abuse them. That's like, number 1.
itsonlyrocknroll
We have a close community, that sometime congregates at our local community center.
I remember once hearing of periodical parenting classes/groups, not totally aware what that entails but maybe this is a way forward?
opheliajadefeldt
Tell_me_bout_itSep. 20 10:59 am JST
So parents cannot discipline their children spanking?
No they cannot, end of story. It is physical and emotional abuse and in many many cases will lead to an escalation in such violence. ps.......And what do you think would happen if you did this in a store/shop to a child you think deserves it, do you think the parents would just stand by?