A Japanese man was indicted Wednesday on a charge of abusing his 10-year-old daughter leading to her death near Tokyo in January.
Yuichiro Kurihara, 41, was arrested Jan. 25 initially on suspicion of attacking his daughter Mia at their home in the city of Noda, Chiba Prefecture.
Prosecutors believe Kurihara weakened Mia by depriving her of food and sleep, and assaulted her for two days before she was found dead in the bathroom of the family's home on Jan. 24. They have judged that they can now prove the connection between the abuse and her death and changed the charge against him.
The girl's death has drawn strong public attention in Japan, with local welfare authorities being criticized for failing to take proper measures to protect her.
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On Wednesday, her 32-year-old mother Nagisa was also indicted on a charge of failing to stop her husband from abusing the girl.
Kurihara had kept Mia standing in their home's living room and bathroom without providing adequate food and sleep since around 10 p.m. on Jan. 22, according to the indictment.
It says the abuse included splashing her with cold water from the shower at around 9:50 p.m. on Jan. 24 before she died at 11:08 p.m.
The mother, who was arrested on Feb. 4 for allegedly assaulting Mia by conspiring with her husband, has been charged over following his instructions and helping him by depriving Mia of food.
On Wednesday, Kurihara was also indicted on a charge of assaulting the girl sometime from around Dec. 30 to Jan. 3 at their home. But prosecutors dropped the same case against the mother.
In Japan, following a spate of recent child maltreatment cases in the name of discipline, the government is planning to include a ban on physical punishment of children by parents in law revisions.
If realized, child welfare authorities are expected to be able to promptly separate children from abusive parents.
