Police in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, said Tuesday they have arrested a 29-year-old man on suspicion of beating his 4-year-old son.
According to police, the suspect, identified as Yoshikazu Sato, a company employee, beat his son about the head at their apartment on Monday morning. NTV reported that the boy's head hit the floor and he lost consciousness. His father then took him to the hospital where staff notified police about a case of possible abuse.
Police said the boy regained consciousness Tuesday but had suffered a subacute subdural hematoma.
Sato was quoted by police as saying he hit his son because he wouldn't do as he was told.
Police said the boy, who is Sato's second oldest son, suffered abuse at his father's hands two years ago. At that time, the boy was placed in the custody of a child welfare center. However, last December, the boy was allowed to go back home.
© Japan Today
21 Comments
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Disillusioned
Ah yes! Everybody knows that, the best way to get a kid to do what he is told is to belt him unconscious, isn't it?
moneyyen
Sure, let the boy go back home. Next time we will read that the Father killed him. Stupid government.
Mirai Hayashi
This ass needs to be put away, or there may be no next time for the kids
LFRAgain
- Keanu Reeves, "Parenthood" (1989)
Truer words were never spoken.
I hope this little boy escapes permanent brain damage... And his poor excuse for a father.
NathalieB
There needs to be no more chances for this POS
Augie Janke
I was abused growing up. He not only hit me all the time but the verbal abuse went with the beatings. Sister and mom got it to! I almost shot my father because i wanted the abuse of the family to stop...LUCKILY i didnt kill my father because he has turned into a very good grandfather and we get along great most of the time. He hasnt touched my mom, sister or I since i was 16 which was when he and I got into a fist fight over him choking my mother in a chair. He turned to Jesus and was convicted and delivered of the evil in his heart. I am happy to say i helped my sister forgive him as well. I look back and think of how everything could have went down and it scares me (I had my hunting rifle loaded and was walking down the stairs. Half way down the stairs I stopped and stood there for a minute and for some reason i turned around and went back to my room and sat there with this loaded rifle in my hands). Point of my story? People like this NEED help. My father was severely beating by my grandfather while growing up. My grandfather also blamed my dad for the death of there son (my dads little brother who was 1 year younger). My dad had a extremely bad child hood then 2 months after graduating high school he was drafted into Vietnam were he was in the 101st Airborne Div. Anyways there are millions of stories like mine. My father overcame severe drug and alcohol addictions (He was an IV drug user of Heroine, coke, weed, pills, EVERYTHING! Thank God he was delivered of ALL of these things by God through Jesus. I am proud of my dad for overcoming sooo much! As bad as this kids injury is, i NEVER went to the hospital and I got knuckled up by a 6'6 250pound man from as far back as I can remember. I have 3 kids and I never BEAT THEM, but i did discipline them with spanking and yelling :) this man just needs to break the cycle! Which isnt easy
Dennis Bauer
What a great decision to let this kid go back.
FightingViking
I have the strangest feeling "dad" was also beaten about the head when he was a small boy... that would explain his (lack of) "mental health"...
slumdog
LFRAgain,
I thought of the same exact quote when reading this.
I hope this small boy does have the chance to grow up healthy and free of such a horrible parent.
Tahoochi
bjohnson23: Definitely not a "Japanese only kind of thing". I think it goes without saying, but child abuse is a world-wide problem. This is "Japan Today", a news website about news in... well, you get the point.
justbcuzisay
Letting men think that because they provide finances to the family, they can get off with a 'warning' would not help any children.
Tahoochi
sensei258Feb. 26, 2015 - 06:32AM JST
@Sensei258: In one hand, you've got "take away the family's source of income", and in the other you've got "child's life".... "income", or "child's life"...........tough decision for sure, but I think the answer is obvious.
DenTok2009
How many children is Yoshikazu Sato a father to? Is is other son living elsewhere? How old is this other son? Since the article is short on details, I am wondering if the other son is dead or safe with his mother (who may not be the mother to the 4 year old abused boy).
nath
Tahoochi, you are correct. I've taught in an elementary school class here in the States where one of the students mentioned that her mother was an alcoholic and was abusive. Stories in the news here in the USA continue to talk about deadbeat inseminators and baby-carriers (can't and won't call them "fathers" and "mothers). It isn't just a Japan thing: sadly, this story is an every-where thing....
Scrote
So this guy beat his son before and what was his punishment? Nothing? It's not enough to simply take the child into care for a while: the man needs to spend some time in jail too.
sensei258
Remember, arrested doesn't necessarily mean jailed. Taking away the family's source of income won't help the situation.
nath
he shuld be punished .i think father may suffer mental problem .
nath
Now while I'm glad that your father found salvation, the fact is, most abusers don't. We as society need to show that this behavior is both socially and legally wrong. This guy deserves to be put in jail indefinitely, and he does deserve to lose his job. Society needs to show that we will not accept people who beat their children.
AramaTaihenNoYouDidnt
Two years passed and what lesson has the father learned?? Zipp!! I do hope to be mistaken here, but the likelyhood of the 4 y.o. reliving another abuse is eventually certain. The welfare system simply don't want to deal with cases like these. Shame on you C.W.C. My prayers and thoughts goes out to both sons.
sensei258
I'm not advocating leaving him alone, but I've seen many cases in the states where the charges are dropped because the family needs the money.
bjohnson23
what is it about beating up a child especially at 4 yrs of age, that parents just haven't learned of what not to do. Do they read about beating your kid in a book, or is this practice one of those for Japanese only kind of things that one should just be aware of?