Japan faces pressure to address child abuse crisis as number of suspected victims hits record 80,100 in 2018

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe vowed to eradicate child abuse in response to the death of Mia Kurihara, a 10-year-old who was found dead with bruises in her home toilet

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Welfare officials and police in Japan have traditionally been reluctant to investigate allegations of child abuse and domestic violence. Photo: AFP

Published: 9:00pm, 7 Feb 2019Updated: 9:00pm, 7 Feb 2019

Authorities in Japan are facing demands to tighten child abuse regulations following the death last month of a 10-year-old girl who was returned to the care of her father despite evidence that he had been violent towards her.

Mia Kurihara was found dead in the bathroom of her home in Chiba, near Tokyo, just over year after telling her school that her father, Yuichiro Kurihara, regularly beat and bullied her. Her body was found with bruises and scratches, and she appeared to have been repeatedly doused with cold water.

Kurihara was arrested the following day on suspicion of causing bodily harm, and her mother, Nagisa, was arrested this week in connection with their daughter’s death. An autopsy failed to establish why Mia had died.

The case has attracted huge media attention and prompted criticism of Japanese authorities amid a dramatic rise in the number of abuse cases.

Japanese police reported a record 80,104 children aged below 18 were suspected of being abused last year. Photo: Kyodo

Japanese police reported a record 80,104 children aged below 18 were suspected of being abused last year, according to government figures released on Thursday, up almost 25 per cent from the previous year.