9-year-old girl assaulted on way home from school in Hyogo

Thursday 15th October, 08:38 AM JST

HYOGO —

A 9-year-old girl was assaulted by a man who hit her in the stomach with a stick while she was walking home from school in the town of Taishi in Hyogo Prefecture, on Wednesday. Police said the girl did not suffer serious injuries but was badly frightened.

Within the past two months, there have been two similar incidents in Taishi and neighboring Himeji. In one incident on Sept 19, a 1st grade student suffered a ruptured liver after she was hit in the stomach, while in the other incident on Oct 6, a 3rd grade student was also hit in the stomach but escaped uninjured.

According to police, the man is in his 30s or 40s, is about 165-170 cm tall, slightly overweight and had short hair.

Wire reports

› Login to comment

Latest 15 of 23 Total Comments Show All

Sarge at 09:22 AM JST - 15th October

What the heck is wrong with some people?
Liberator at 09:49 AM JST - 15th October

Once that guys in jail, things are gonna go in his stomach....
DarkKnightNine at 10:37 AM JST - 15th October

Lucky that wasn't my son or daughter. The police would have to arrest two people. But knowing the J-police, he'd probably get off with just a warning after being released from the hospital, while I'd probably spend a year in jail.
Makun at 10:40 AM JST - 15th October

It's time to setup some colored lights in the streets to reduce the desire to beat children, whatever color that may be~
bobbafett at 10:56 AM JST - 15th October

There are so many cowards in Samurai Japan
gogogo at 11:23 AM JST - 15th October

What a bozo, sounds like he was bullied in school and still thinks he is in school.
Tahoochi at 11:50 AM JST - 15th October

@ fishy: I agree, when parents of kids these days were kids... say 15-20 years ago, I don't think this sort of thing used to happen nearly as often. Japan is not as safe as it used to be, and I think parents need to be more careful than they used to be.
kirakira25 at 01:11 PM JST - 15th October

Given that in the past 2 months there have been similar incidents in the same area, why on earth are these kids still walking home alone?

Even if this was a one-off, it could possibly have been prevented by the same old argument that always crops up on here - young kids are too young to be walking to and from school alone. It is not safe. Make sure your kids get to and from school safely. It`s common sense!
intomioka at 01:27 PM JST - 15th October

For the meantime children in that area will need to be accompanied to school by adults. This will have all sorts of positive consequences that go beyond protecting against this particular man.

Neighbors should be urged to report any suspicious behavior by anyone fitting that profile. Police should temporarily turn their attention away from proper bicycle registration and catch this criminal.
Investigator at 04:24 PM JST - 15th October

kirakira25-young kids are too young to be walking to and from school alone.

There have also been cases of guys hitting women in the face with baseball bats and slashing them once most anywhere on the body and running away. So, is it now not safe enough for anyone to walk alone, or should we just chaperone the women? Always walk in groups-no matter what?

This is the third such incident and the first two happened in different places. One off incidents happen a couple times a year at each school with varying degrees of seriousness. Usually there are no clear repeats so the next town is not notified. When it happens in the next town, they don't know its a repeat and the first town does not hear about it. By the third, it makes the press and everyone is on alert. But most cases disappear.

Probably a lot of incidents could be avoided by kids never being alone. But at what cost? Buy a bus? Make parents drive kids to school? You would get more ruptured livers that way. Traffic accidents happen too. Make the parents always walk with the kids? How many man hours of work do we lose that way?

And basically Japan is still pretty safe, and its partly because everyone keeps going on like it is and does not give in to paranoia. However, kids do usually walk in groups of other kids. Enough is enough. Perfection cannot be attained.
stirfry at 06:27 PM JST - 15th October

real manly men in japan eh ? picking on little girls
sensei258 at 07:02 PM JST - 15th October

Loser. Hit me with a stick kunero, I'll shove it where the sun don't shine.
kirakira25 at 07:45 PM JST - 15th October

@investigator - no, of course you can`t protect everyone from every possibility. But I still think elementary school kids are too young to be walking to and from school alone. Sorry if you disagree with that.
eze666 at 09:11 PM JST - 15th October

what the hell is wrong with people... i teach elementary and if i caught someone trying to hit one of my little crazies i don't think i could control my temper. what a pathetic, weak, little man
usaexpat at 11:15 PM JST - 15th October

So some nutter gets his jollies hitting school kids in the stomach? Sure sound like the same guy in all three incidents. I sure hope they catch him before his violence escalates.