Ex-Childcare Worker Admits to Assaulting Seven Children Offers Hollow Apology to Families

The heartbreaking anger of the victim’s family

In the first part of the article, “[My daughter suddenly cried and screamed.] a 27-year-old former child care worker sexually assaulted a preschooler, the family of the child who was sexually assaulted by Nagumi Osada, 27, a former child care worker, expressed their unresolved anger.

 

The family of a child who was sexually assaulted by 27-year-old former nursery school teacher Nagumi Osada (27) expressed their anger.

 

Nagumi Osada (27), a former child care worker, is accused of sexually assaulting a total of seven children (A-G in the order of indictment) at two day-care centers where she worked, and of filming the assaults, which included charges of sexual misconduct and violation of the Child Pornography Law.

At the 6th trial held on October 15 at the Tokyo District Court, the father of E-chan expressed his anger.

“I did not see any remorse or apology from the defendant in the courtroom. After the defendant’s questioning, I felt hatred toward the defendant, his parents, his ex-wife who absconded with his assets, and the family.

I want the defendant to be castrated and never leave his cell for the rest of his life. We want our normal, everyday life back. I hope that the judges will take this into consideration when making their decision.”

The prosecutor then read Ms. F.’s statement of opinion.

“Even now, several years after she was victimized, whenever the incident is brought up with her friends, my daughter still lives her life hiding the fact that she is the victim. At the time, she trusted the defendant so much that she was victimized, and she is worried that she was targeted because of her meekness.

At the trial, the defendant said that there was no particular reason why he targeted my daughter. I wonder what kind of feelings they had toward us parents at the day-care center while they were doing such terrible things to my daughter. It’s unbelievable.”

There was no indication that he was ready to face the situation.

He went on to say that from Nagumi’s comments and demeanor at trial, “it did not appear that he was properly facing the case, the victims, or their families.”

“I cannot believe that a defendant who turns a blind eye to the seriousness of his crimes will be rehabilitated and will not be likely to reoffend. I hope that the defendant will be punished severely so that he will never do the same thing again.”

 

Finally, the attorney representing G’s guardians read a statement of opinion.

“Just as a crumpled piece of paper cannot be put back together, a psychological trauma can remain in the form of a memory for a long time. My daughter’s mind will never return to the way it was before the incident. Even if she can lead a peaceful life now, it may suddenly collapse 10 or 20 years later in the form of the onset of PTSD, and she will have to live with such a bomb for the rest of her life. The defendant has committed a crime that her daughter will have to live with for the rest of her life.”

The statement of opinion referred to Nagumi’s statement that she was a sex addict and was considering treatment, and stated that she wanted to be punished severely because she did not commit the crime because of her disease.

“The defendant created the victim because of his extremely ugly personality, treating the child as if he were a tool, not because of his illness. I sincerely hope that such a convenient word as sick will not be used as an escape route for the defendant.

I hope that you will seriously consider once again the possibility of releasing such a person back into society and causing new victims. I strongly hope that the defendant will be punished so severely that he will never appear before us again and will never be allowed to appear in society again.”

He uttered an apology, however.

After the statements of opinion, the defense made its closing argument.

The prosecutor stated, “This was an extremely vile and malicious crime that exploited the position of trust held as a childcare worker. The harm inflicted on the victims’ mental and physical well-being is immense. The crimes were repeatedly committed over a significant period of approximately two years and three months, demonstrating a clear pattern of habitual behavior, with a high risk of reoffending.” The prosecutor then requested a 15-year prison sentence.

On the other hand, the defense attorney argued that there were mitigating circumstances, stating, “He has written a letter of apology and is sincerely remorseful,” and “He is undergoing treatment and has pledged not to work in any field involving children in the future, reducing the possibility of reoffending.” The defense requested a lenient sentence.

 “I selfishly satisfied my own desires, turning innocent children into victims, and left them with wounds that will never heal—this is an undeniable fact. It is also true that I have done nothing to compensate the victims, which stems from my own ignorance and irresponsibility.

I fully acknowledge that I was a vile criminal. I sincerely apologize to the victims from the bottom of my heart, and I am consumed by this remorse. There is no room for any excuses. I am truly sorry.”

After concluding his final statement, he collapsed into his seat at the defendant’s bench. His face flushed, and he stared downward with a vacant expression.

Hearing the anger from the victims’ parents, whether directly or through letters stating “We will never forgive you,” perhaps he finally began to grasp the gravity of his crimes.

The verdict will be delivered on November 14.