How a Mother’s Acquaintance Left a 5-Year-Old Boy Critically Injured Through Beating and Throwing

The 5-year-old boy suffered serious injuries including intracranial bleeding

Shortly after 9 a.m. on March 1, the man appeared at Funabashi Police Station in Chiba Prefecture to be sent to prosecutors. He was tall, with a short, closely shaved haircut on the sides, giving him a tough appearance. His sharp eyes looked at the cameras, but he showed no sign of being unsettled, walking calmly.

The man arrested on February 28 on suspicion of assaulting and injuring a 5-year-old boy in Chuo Ward, Tokyo, was 36-year-old self-proclaimed part-timer Yuichi Sasaki from Funabashi City.

“Sasaki is suspected of assaulting the boy at Funabashi City Sports Park on February 27 between around 3:00 p.m. and 5:30 p.m., striking his cheeks and throwing him down, causing injuries including intracranial bleeding. When the boy was transported to the hospital, he was in a critical state and unconscious.

Sasaki called 119, and when the fire department arrived, they reported to the police: ‘The boy being transported has bruises on both cheeks, is breathing, but unconscious. There may be a perpetrator.’ This led to his arrest.

Sasaki was an acquaintance of the boy’s mother and was looking after the boy alone at the time of the incident. In questioning, he reportedly partially denied the charges, saying, ‘I was doing training like sumo or judo and the boy got injured. I consider it an accident.’” (National newspaper social affairs reporter)

The relationship between Sasaki and the boy’s mother has only been described as acquaintances, but the fact that the mother entrusted her young child to him alone suggests he was trusted to some degree. Still, what kind of training was he doing with a 5-year-old boy, and for what purpose?

In the past, there have been many cases where a mother’s partner or acquaintance inflicted violence on a child, leading to tragic outcomes.

In January 2022, in Okayama City, Okayama Prefecture, a 5-year-old girl who had been transported to the hospital died. Until just before being transported, she had been wrapped tightly in a futon. Moreover, her mother (34 at the time) and her mother’s partner (38 at the time) routinely abused her under the guise of discipline, withholding food and inflicting violence. The mother’s partner was sentenced to 14 years in prison for confinement resulting in death, and the mother, who partially denied the charges, received a 10-year sentence.

Also, in March 2018, a 5-year-old girl died in Meguro Ward, Tokyo, after her parents repeatedly neglected to feed her and left her on the balcony. The parents were arrested and prosecuted for abandonment resulting in death. The girl was the mother’s stepchild and not related to her father by blood.

In this case, a reflection essay the girl had been forced to write in a notebook saying “Please, forgive me, please” was found, which moved many people to tears. The father was sentenced to 13 years in prison, and the mother to 8 years.

Regarding cases where a mother’s acquaintance or partner commits violence against a child, a writer familiar with child welfare noted:

“These cases are not uncommon in child abuse situations. Overseas studies refer to this as the ‘Mother’s Boyfriend Risk,’ indicating that the entry of a non-blood-related male into a household increases the risk of violence against children.

However, in this case, the relationship between the mother and the suspect is unclear, and rather than continuous abuse, it could be a single-incident type case where violence erupted during a sudden trouble. In any case, the risk of violence occurring when adults temporarily look after children cannot be ignored.”

Adults must not be allowed to abuse powerless children with violence.