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Oct. 1, 2004 Girl who Killed Her Classmate was a "Normal Child" - Sasebo School Tragedy Mariko Tokoro, CRN staff

On June 1, a sixth-grade girl in Sasebo, Nagasaki Prefecture, was fatally stabbed in the neck by a female classmate with a paper cutter. (see detail.) The girl who killed a classmate at school will not face criminal charges for her act because she is under the age of 14. In accordance with Japanese law, the case was sent to Family Court where it was deliberated as a juvenile case. Under the decision of Nagasaki Family Court on September 15, the girl will now be placed in a juvenile training and education center. The court's assessment of her emotional development described her as "a child who, since infancy, cried little, did not ask to be hugged, held or carried. She did not show signs of affection and bonding, and spent much of her time playing alone with toys and watching TV. She tended not to express her emotional needs and was passive in her interactions with others. Her parents, who considered her to be a quiet child who was easy to raise and did not require much attention, had overlooked her problematic tendencies." Furthermore, the results of a psychiatric exam were submitted before the Family Court decision and showed no signs of serious mental problems or disorders - she was judged to be 'normal child.' "Does this mean that even a 'normal child' can do such terrible things?" The father of the deceased child, who is a newspaper journalist, disclosed his feelings in a written statement, and surely other parents share his deep sadness and incomprehension. The court decision, which did not find the girl suffering from a psychiatric disorder, found fault with the parents, holding them responsible for having failed to notice her problems. Because the girl is a minor, neither the results of the psychiatric exam nor the details of the court decision have been made public, and it is not clear whether the parents were actually negligent in their upbringing as stated. But the question arises: is it possible for someone who is not a specialist in child development and psychology, even if the person is the child's parent, to recognize problematic tendencies in a child who is not diagnosed with any type of disorder? In his statement, the father of the deceased girl appealed, "No parent ever imagines that his or her child will be a victim or commit such an act. In the hope that others will not suffer as I have, I can only say to other adults who have children, 'Please try to understand your child. Knowing full well that trying to understand your child completely is a hopeless task, please try, nevertheless. Each family in its own way.'" Why did this incident occur? How could it have been prevented? No matter how hard we search, clear answers seem to elude us. And without answers, society and adults need to take the father's words to heart and think about this---each in his or her own way. Let's Talk!

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