The father of a 3-year-old girl in Hirakata, Osaka Prefecture, told voluntary police questioning before his arrest that he had his daughter practice stepping up and down on a stool because he believed she had a developmental delay, NHK reported, in a case in which both parents have been arrested on suspicion of assaulting the girl to death.
According to the account, the father became angry during the practice and assaulted the child. Police are investigating the circumstances that led to her death.
The parents were arrested on suspicion of assaulting the girl and causing her death. Investigators are also examining whether the case amounted to abuse.
Discipline and children with developmental delays
The father's explanation places the assault inside what was framed as training, a rationale that in Japan can blur the line between discipline and abuse. The child's presumed developmental delay was the stated reason for the practice, according to the account.