Japan enacts revised law banning parents from physically punishing children

TOKYO -- Japan enacted a revised law on Wednesday banning parents and guardians from physically punishing children amid rising cases of abuse.

Along with banning parents, guardians and others legally responsible for caring for children from physically punishing children while attempting to discipline them, the law also requires full-time, in-house lawyers and doctors to be based at child welfare centers so that information and professional expertise can be easily shared.

The revised law now empowers child welfare centers to separate its staff members involved in taking a child into protective custody from those dealing with the child's parents or guardians.

The number of child welfare and consultations centers will also be increased and schools, education boards and welfare centers will be required to adhere to stricter confidentiality requirements, according to the revised law.

This is aimed at better safeguarding abused children and ensuring that abusive parents and guardians cannot coerce institutions into providing potentially damaging information or make decisions that could further put an at-risk child in danger.

Local governments and child welfare centers are also encouraged under the newly revised law to use medical and psychological methods to counsel parents with a history of child abuse to prevent incidents from reoccurring.

The new revised law comes amid damning national child abuse statistics and in the wake of the tragic death of five-year-old Yua Funato in March last year, who had been a victim of heinous levels of abuse and neglect at the hands of her Tokyo-based parents.