OSAKA - Cases of inappropriate childcare are emerging across the country, and a recent incident in Higashi-Osaka has renewed concerns about how young children are being treated in nurseries.
A 3-year-old boy at a local daycare facility was diagnosed with an acute stress reaction after being subjected to verbal abuse by a childcare worker. The case has prompted a closer look at why such incidents continue to surface and what kind of perspective on childcare needs to guide the field going forward.
In recordings captured inside the facility, childcare workers could be heard raising their voices at the child during lunchtime, scolding him for eating more slowly than the other children. The boy was repeatedly reduced to tears. His parents, Kato and his wife, said they began noticing changes after he moved into a new class in April. Their son, once cheerful and talkative, began waking up multiple times at night, crying and apologizing for no clear reason. He stopped describing what happened at nursery and insisted that the teacher was “scary.”
Concerned, the parents placed a voice recorder in his belongings. When they listened to the audio, they were overwhelmed, saying they “couldn’t stop shaking” as they realized the extent of the distress their son had been under.
Based on the audio, the nursery investigated and confirmed that three staff members—male and female—had engaged in inappropriate childcare. All three resigned. The nursery told Yomiuri TV that the workers were under strain after the new school year began, with changing duties and reduced capacity to manage stress, which led them to take their frustrations out on the children. The boy was later diagnosed with an acute stress reaction.
Incidents of inappropriate childcare are being identified nationwide. At Matsubara Nursery School in Tagawa, Fukuoka Prefecture, an internal probe found that between July and August this year, 10 female childcare workers aged from their 20s to 60s had committed acts of abuse. These included forcing food into the mouths of children who were slow to eat, making them sit on the floor as punishment, hitting them, pinching their cheeks, or pulling their clothes forcefully. Other staff members were aware of the mistreatment but did not intervene.
According to the Children and Families Agency, which conducted its first nationwide survey last year, 914 cases of inappropriate childcare were confirmed at authorized daycare centers during the nine months starting in April 2022, 90 of which were classified as abuse.
Although staffing shortages and rising workloads are often cited as underlying factors, experts warn that such explanations alone cannot resolve the deeper issues. One specialist noted that many childcare workers still operate under an outdated belief that children must “eat everything on their plate,” “never be picky,” or “be strictly disciplined to become capable.” These rigid attitudes, they argue, create psychological pressure that can lead to harmful childcare practices.
At a nursery in Akashi, Hyogo Prefecture, staff have spent the past decade shifting toward what they describe as a child-centered approach. Instead of prioritizing strict discipline or efficiency, workers focus on respecting each child’s voice and helping them express what they want or how they feel. This requires time and patience, but caregivers say it has relieved them of the burden of forcing children to eat when they are not hungry or pushing them to follow rigid routines.
The nursery used to hold events almost every month, and while parents appreciated them, staff were constantly overwhelmed by preparations. The pressure to deliver perfect events led some workers to give harsher instructions to children. After a major shift in policy, the nursery reduced events to less than half the previous number, digitized paperwork, and moved communication with parents onto smartphones. Caregivers say they now feel more calm and able to connect with children with genuine attentiveness.
The emphasis on children’s autonomy is evident in daily routines. When deciding how much food they want or choosing clothes at home, children are encouraged to explain their reasons. Over time, caregivers observed that children naturally develop interest in what others are doing and begin responding to each other’s ideas. Even decisions about excursions, such as where to go for the next outing, are now made by taking votes based on the children’s own suggestions, whether it is a theme park or a trip to Okinawa.
One childcare worker described how she resisted the urge to intervene too quickly when children attempted to climb onto the roof of a small playhouse. Instead of lifting them down, she watched as they figured out how to reach the top safely on their own, gaining confidence and laughing proudly. In another case, when a child dropped an object into a small pond, other children collaborated to think through how to retrieve it, suggesting sticks and helping each other, turning the problem into a shared learning experience.
Caregivers say these moments remind them of the excitement that originally drew them to the profession. They stress that childcare should not be about ensuring children follow adult expectations, but about realizing that each child is developing into someone unique and remarkable. That recognition, they say, is what makes the work meaningful.
As childcare in Japan enters a period of change, experts argue that preventing inappropriate childcare begins with transforming how adults perceive children—shifting from a mindset of control to one of partnership. The future of childcare, they say, lies in an environment where children are treated as active participants rather than passive recipients of instruction.
Source: YOMIURI
