350 children under 15 die of abuse annually in Japan: pediatric society

The number of deaths as a result of child abuse in Japan is considerably more than the number reported by the government, according to a recent estimate by the Japan Pediatric Society.

A panel investigating child deaths said about 350 children aged 14 and under across the country possibly die of abuse every year, up to five times more than the figures reported to the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare in recent years.

The panel surveyed cases in local governments of Tokyo, Gunma Prefecture, Kyoto Prefecture and Kitakyushu city, where pediatricians belonging to the panel worked.

With the help of hospitals, the society looked into the deaths of 368 children under 15 in 2011 and concluded that 27, or 7.3%, of those deaths resulted from such abuse and neglect as the violent shaking of infants, inadequate supervision leading to drowning during bathing and a failure to give medical care.

The society drew its estimate of annual deaths from an assumption, based on government data, that a total of 5,000 children under 15 die in Japan every year.

“Many deaths due to child abuse are feared to have been overlooked, as information sharing and verification among government officials, those working in medical institutions and the police are insufficient,” an official of the society said, urging the central government to take more steps to prevent the undercounting of child maltreatment fatalities.

According to the health ministry’s data, deaths of children under 18 caused by abuse stood at 99 in fiscal 2011, 90 in fiscal 2012 and 69 in fiscal 2013.

“To reduce as much as possible abuse and deaths which could have been prevented, there is a need for various entities to cooperate in discussing and examining the causes of child deaths,” said Fumitake Mizoguchi, head of the society’s panel, which conducted the survey.

According to the health ministry, child consultation centers across the country received a record 88,000 reports of child abuse in fiscal 2014.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/crime/view/350-children-under-15-die-of-abuse-annually-in-japan-pediatric-society