Prosecutors in Okayama City have sought a 10-year prison term for a 36-year-old woman over the death of her 5-year-old daughter in September 2021.
In their final argument in the case of Aya Nishida at the Okayama District Court, prosecutors accused her and her then 40-year-old boyfriend, Seiji Funabashi, of confinement resulting in death and other abuse, stating that "the criminal responsibility for not helping and abandoning her daughter is serious,” NHK reported.
The court heard that Nishida and Funabashi repeatedly abused her daughter, Mao, at his apartment. Prosecutors said Funabashi stripped the girl naked and punched her face several times between Sept 8 and Sept 25, 2021, while her mother did nothing to stop him.
Mao was also forced to stand in a large pot for a long time with her fingers in her mouth, causing her to vomit.
On Sept 25, Funabashi wrapped Mao in a futon and left her inside a closet for about an hour and 20 minutes.
The child died from hypoxic encephalopathy in January 2022.
Prosecutors said Nishida told Funabashi that Mao would not listen to her, which led to the abuse.
Nishida’s defense team argued that she was psychologically controlled by her ex-boyfriend and it was impossible for her to stop the abuse. Funabashi installed surveillance cameras in apartment and controlled Nishida's income.
The verdict will be handed down on Sept 11.
Funabashi was sentenced to 14 years in prison in 2023.
© Japan Today
10 Comments
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miss_oikawa
Tough Japanese sentencing strikes again...
YeahRight
Not tough enough.
Fourteen years? Ten years? For killing a young child with her whole life ahead of her? Mandatory life without parole. (Though I don't think Japan has a parole system to begin with. Anyone know for sure?)
Jind
Should be life sentence without parole for taking the life of a defenseless young child.
Continuous abuse should have been unacceptable and stopped.
shogun36
10 and 14 years sentences..........pathetic.
The mother should be given a 50 year sentence.
The loser boyfriend should just be thrown in a 20 M pit, the end.
Estatesman
Any amount of time in a Japanese Prison is really tough for those of you that think it is not. Do your research and read a Japanese Prison handbook. It is wild!
Michael Corleone
it is not always stated, but it is safe to assume, that abuse like this is recorded and sold online...
for profit!!
WA4TKG
Hang ‘em BOTH: High
Garthgoyle
Ten years suspended sentence for three coming up in 3, 2, 1.
Ah_so
But they won't be forced to stand in a pot with their fingers down their throats.
Sadistic cruelty to children deserves the toughest punishment.
albaleo
But it won't help the child. I doubt the length of sentence will have much effect on anything. Shouldn't we be looking for ways to stop these ugly events happening in the first place?