Education Needed To End Paternal Violence vs Newborns In Japan

The recent arrest of a man who allegedly hit his one-month-old daughter in the head leading to her death last year has highlighted the urgent need for better support and education for fathers following a spate of similar cases across the country, Kyodo News reported recently.

Photo Insert: A newborn Japanese baby girl

Paternal abuse in some cases has been attributed to a phenomenon known as "papa mishiri" in Japan, roughly translating to "daddy aversion." While some experts interpret it as a sign that a baby's cognitive skills are developing, they acknowledge that inexperienced fathers may feel shocked when their children appear to reject them.

The 23-year-old man, Natsuki Nakashima, initially denied injuring his daughter Kokona at their home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, but he later admitted to the allegations. Nakashima was at home with Kokona and another of his four children when the incident occurred. "Stress had been building," he said.

"I hit her because she would not stop crying." However, it is unknown whether Nakashima's case is linked to papa mishiri.

Masako Ishii, professor of developmental psychology at Showa Women's University in Tokyo, said babies with improved cognitive abilities are able to feel the difference between their mothers and fathers, and the subtle changes in how they hold them.

She said in families where mothers handle most of the child-rearing, it is common for infants between six and eight months old to reject their fathers for a period of time.

According to a survey by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare, around half of the child abuse deaths in fiscal 2019 involved children less than a year old. For some fathers unaware of how to handle this phenomenon, the situation can quickly deteriorate and have serious, even deadly, consequences.

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