49-year-old man kicks 9-year-old boy in face, breaking his nose

What a pr*ck

A kick in the face is a deadly assault.

Kicking a child in the face is attempted murder.

wow - dangerous to even play ball in safety japan. i hope this man has been arrested for aggravated assault.

Kicked a kid in the face? Throw him in jail.

They guy must really hate dodgebal

Kicking a 9-year old, what a hero! Not.

Well.... Now hold on. Read again; boy entered his premisis (assume yard). While I agree that kicking the kid is overboard, 100 to 1 that the kid just entered the guys "premisis" without asking for permission which is TRESSPASS. Where I am from you can get shot LEGALLY for tresspass on private property. I can tell you, more than once I have had kids (my kids friends) and ADULTS just walk into my house, sometimes strangers. Guarentee the kids had to clean their pants and will never enter my house again, the adults; good thing I wasnt home when it happened.

There is NO respect for personal property here, expecially by kids. A broken nose will ensure this kid thinks twice about entering someone elses property uninvited (his friends too). But, it was over the top.

What a hero! An eye for an eye, I reckon. They should get this guy to kneel down and let the kid return the favor, preferably with steel cappers on. 'king donkey's butt!!!

okimike67Dec. 08, 2011 - 03:28PM JST Well.... Now hold on.

No, you hold on. Someone trespassing gives you the right to ask them to please leave, and to defend your property if they try to take something with them while they're leaving. If they don't leave and pose no danger then you have no right to assault them, but you can call the police. As far as I'm aware it is not legal ANYWHERE to shoot trespassers who pose no risk, that's murder. Of course it's difficult to disprove a land owner who says the person was posing a threat or looked like they had a gun or something, so if you lie to the police there's no way to prove you wrong. That doesn't make it legal though.

This kid posed no danger, and there's absolutely no justification for kicking someone (especially a kid) in the face.

@okimike67 : This is Japan...not America. Kicking or assaulting a 9 year-old by any adult is uncalled for and is child abuse.

Where I am from you can get shot LEGALLY for tresspass on private property.

Thankfully this isn't where you come from. Trespassing is one thing, a little kid nipping in to get his ball out of the garden is quite another. We don't need any comparisons to the wild west here. The big tuff bloke was way out of line laying a finger on the boy, never mind kicking him.

There is NO respect for personal property here

Yes there is, it just isn't of the 'one step over the boundary and I'll blow yer 'ead orf' or 'freeze!' variety. Until very recently (and probably still so in some areas) opening the front door and calling out for the occupier was considered the correct and polite way to make one's presence known. The advent of interphones and the habit of keeping dogs indoors are probably the main factors encouraging people to ring the doorbell these days instead.

One of the things I love about Japan is the respect for personal property; I can leave a bicycle with the key in the lock and the basket full of shopping, and come back an hour later to find the bike and basket of goodies untouched. I can leave brooms, spades, etc., propped up against the outside wall of the house, and they'll stay there until I need them. The Coop lady can leave four boxes of groceries outside my door and when I come home hours later the order will be intact.

the guy would have been locked up in the states while they investgated especially since there were witnesses

okimike,

The genkan is considered part of the street (or the outside of the house if you prefer) and it is quite correct to come in and call out from the genkan.

As for your other comments, I am glad I am not from where you hail... Seems like a hell of a place to live in!

This is Japan where the authorities frequently demonstrate little if no compassion towards children's safety and welfare.

I bet this piece of scum get nothing more than a suspended sentence. I do not agree with revenge, but in this case I hope the boys father beats the livings daylights out of him...

I agree with tokyokawasaki... I hope that the boys father beats the living crap out of him.

One of the things I love about Japan is the respect for personal property

Umm what Japan are you living in? This is a huge fallacy. While the impression exists that people "respect" personal property the reality is very different.

Slap on the wrists and suspended sentence. Possibly a few ichi-man yen notes to sweeten the deal and everything is forgotten about,

I never used to read Japan Today nor any other news in Japan. This is my first post. There is something seriously wrong in this country. This newspaper is always full with weird and sick news. If you want to kick someone, pickup your own size. What an a**

sorry forgot to add before at the end of my first sentence. There is no option to edit as well.

I can't believe so many posts justifying this cos the kid, yeah a kid! Went into this loon's yard to get a ball. There is no justification for kicking a 9y/o kid in the face! It is a callous and brutal assault regardless of the kid being in his yard and this loon should be locked up!

@memylan "There is something seriously wrong in this country". Maybe you shouldn't judge a whole country based on one guy or one incident. If you read msnbc, there are always news about crazy people in America. Every country has criminals, crazy people, Japan is not exception

I've lost count of the number of balls that have kicked into our garden over the last 8 years. Kids have sometimes climbed over and into our garden without prior permission. I've never felt the compunction to kick any of them in the face or use any kind of physical force at all! One kid once gave hubby backlip. Hubby shouted at him and told the kid that if he did that again, he'd be marched back over to his parent's house to discuss it in more depth! Adults are supposed to show kids how to behave by example. Where I come from kicking a kid in the face just isn't on. Infact, I hope the man concerned isn't a father himself.

@Namabiru4me; What the hell does this have to do with America vs Japan? When I was a kid there was many a time when an errant ball went into a neighbor's yard. If someone was in sight we would yell "hey mister, can we have our ball back?" if not we just jumped the fence and retreived the ball. We got a lot of "you kid stay out of my yard!" but no one ever got shot or kicked in the nose. Sometimes we lost the eat of our pants to a dog but that's about as violent as it got. If the errant ball happened to break a window..........scatter!

Ok now someone break this tough guys face in the prison yard.

The more I read this story, the angrier I get! I'd love to have a chance to kick a ball in his yard!!!

Kagoshima?? What a sick old bastard! I hope they let him rot in jail! I feel so sorry for this little boy playing dodge ball!

Ebenezer Scrooge on steroids!

He needs his hum, bugged.

Just sayin'...

okimike,

like others thank bloody hell I dont live where your from! But I suspect I know where that is & even tho guns "laws" are crazy there I am pretty sure property owners arent given the right to use their yards as shooting galleries if something or somebody happen to enter unannounced, WTF!

Where I am from you can get shot LEGALLY for tresspass on private property. I can tell you, more than once I have had kids (my kids friends) and ADULTS just walk into my house, sometimes strangers. Guarentee the kids had to clean their pants and will never enter my house again, the adults; good thing I wasnt home when it happened.

Dunno where you are from Okimike - but your country sounds like the most awful joint in the entire world. Please tell us all where it is so we don't ever have the misfortune to visit!

Let's hope the poor boy recovers mentally and physically. As for the coward child abuser who did this, I hope he is put away for a long time and ends up jobless and homeless.

I really love all the "thumbs-down" on my previous comment.

Just shows that there are plenty of people here that live in a fantasy world regarding Japan. If Japanese were so respectful of people's property pray tell why is there graffiti? Why do kids key cars, break windows at schools, steal from each other, all sorts of crimes against persons and property?

The same people that comment here about how "safe" and "respectful" Japanese are HAVE to HAVE blinders on to the reality that there are plenty of folks here that are punks, just like anywhere else in the world.

There are just as many places in other countries where people are just as honest and respectful as there are here in Japan and vice versa as well!

Agree with BurakuminDes, Even in the most extreme cases in the States, you have to have your property fenced, gated, locked and posted to keep people from entering your property uninvited and then you can't just open fire Legally. You might want to tell your kids to tell their friends not to just walk into the house, don't shoot them if they do......it's not legal. You also might want to close and lock your doors and post signs like "Keep out" or "Do not enter, Knock".

Why do kids key cars, break windows at schools, steal from each other, all sorts of crimes against persons and property?

Because kids do stupid things. That includes Japanese kids. Subways, malls and other public places are quite clean and the people using them generally keep them pretty clean in Japan. Lots cleaner than lots of places in the world.

This guy is not a kid. He should have known better. It has nothing to do with respect for property. The kid was 9 and it seems like he was just going to get his ball back. The guy needs a serious lesson in self control.

Although I agree that some people don't like 9 year olds, that does not make it OK to kick the face.

Ben that was a rhetorical question. I could go on about adults as well too. You evidently missed the post I was replying to in the first place.

This old idiot down in Kagoshima needs not only a good swift kick in his own face but another to his ass and another to finish right there between the legs and I am not talking about his butt! Poor little boy!

OkiMike, I think you need to understand that Japan, yes even Okinawa is not the USA, we are not back in Louisiana and it is not ok to shoot people dead if they happen to be on your property, right?

@cleo

Where I am from you can get shot LEGALLY for tresspass on private property.

Thankfully this isn't where you come from. Trespassing is one thing, a little kid nipping in to get his ball out of the garden is quite another. We don't need any comparisons to the wild west here. The big tuff bloke was way out of line laying a finger on the boy, never mind kicking him.

There is NO respect for personal property here

Yes there is, it just isn't of the 'one step over the boundary and I'll blow yer 'ead orf' or 'freeze!' variety. Until very recently (and probably still so in some areas) opening the front door and calling out for the occupier was considered the correct and polite way to make one's presence known. The advent of interphones and the habit of keeping dogs indoors are probably the main factors encouraging people to ring the doorbell these days instead.

One of the things I love about Japan is the respect for personal property; I can leave a bicycle with the key in the lock and the basket full of shopping, and come back an hour later to find the bike and basket of goodies untouched. I can leave brooms, spades, etc., propped up against the outside wall of the house, and they'll stay there until I need them. The Coop lady can leave four boxes of groceries outside my door and when I come home hours later the order will be intact.

Very well said. There is NO excuse to kick a child on the face. Only a beast would think that's OK. I am not condoning in any way to go inside a private property.But If you catch a child inside your garden/land, give him/her a nice long lecture and that would suffice.(Contact the parents if necessary!) But there is no right nor need to use physical violence. Had the boy been mine, that old man would've end up without feet. I will not forgive anybody touching my children. That's child abuse/violence, the old man is a coward. period.

First, going for a personal best thumbs down; 12 andn counting!!!

Second, ALL of you that thumbed me adn berated me are the cause of the problem, which is that kids these days have NO RESPECT for anything (maybe even more so in Kagoshima). I got here over 25 years ago and there was distinct respect shown towards elders and sempai, most especially expected adn demonstarted by kids to adaults. Today, that is GONE. Kids are hellions these days and care less about anything. They throw candy wrappers on the street, pee in peoples yards, ride bikes through yards and yes, enter peoples fenced yards without asking. Some people get tired of it and when they say something to these animals, they talk back in a very nasty way. You go to teh parents and ask WTF and the parents say "oh their just kids" or some other crap. So I blame the parents!!!!! I have 3 kids, two are boys, and I will tell you that my kids are the best mannered kids around. If they stray out of bounds all I have to do is look at them and they shape up. If they dont they know there are concequences. Kids are like anything else (dogs, cats, rose bushes, ......), they have to be nurtured, adjusted, pruned and sometimes need a serious adjustment (in that order!). If you dont do this you get animals, that is where we are heading in US and now Japan.

And again, I RESTRESS, that a kick to the face is overboard but 100 to 1 this was not the first incident adn that the kid lipped off. Not a justification but it is framework. So if your untrained animals come into my yard without permission they will leave at least a little "different". Notice "untrained" because decent kids that have manners and respect are treated as humans by me.

Thumb Away!!!!!

@Samantha Zoe Aso

I've lost count of the number of balls that have kicked into our garden over the last 8 years. Kids have sometimes climbed over and into our garden without prior permission. I've never felt the compunction to kick any of them in the face or use any kind of physical force at all! One kid once gave hubby backlip. Hubby shouted at him and told the kid that if he did that again, he'd be marched back over to his parent's house to discuss it in more depth! Adults are supposed to show kids how to behave by example. Where I come from kicking a kid in the face just isn't on. Infact, I hope the man concerned isn't a father himself.

Same here, Sam...many many times, over and over..and you don't see me grabbing a knife and running like a psycho-loser after the kid for entering my property.. Some people are seriously fudged up in the head, perhaps they should consider jumping from a bridge or something?

@ Mexicano:

What do your ahve against Louisiana? I think right now I would rather be in Baton Rouge than Guadalahara or Alcapolco.

I have 3 kids, two are boys, and I will tell you that my kids are the best mannered kids around. If they stray out of bounds all I have to do is look at them and they shape up. If they dont they know there are concequences.......

And I'll bet 100 to 1 that your kids are scared shitless of you too. I've been on the receiving end of parents like you and it isn't love or respect they have for you it's fear, and they'll be scared for life too. That is an observation on my part not an assumption either.

And again, I RESTRESS, that a kick to the face is overboard but 100 to 1 this was not the first incident adn that the kid lipped off.

And I'll bet 100 to 1 again that you often assume things that aren't there. You have no idea what happened but are willing to crucify a kid for what you THINK he may or may not have done.

No child deserves what happened to this one, EVEN if he did lip off or otherwise. You try that with my son and I am guaranteeing you that you WILL end up worse.

"OMG! A 9 year old kid armed with a ball. Could be used as a deadly weapon. Prepare to enter the dragon, kid. I swear, it's just self defense."

@okimike67

First, going for a personal best thumbs down; 12 andn counting!!!

Second, ALL of you that thumbed me adn berated me are the cause of the problem, which is that kids these days have NO RESPECT for anything (maybe even more so in Kagoshima). I got here over 25 years ago and there was distinct respect shown towards elders and sempai, most especially expected adn demonstarted by kids to adaults. Today, that is GONE. Kids are hellions these days and care less about anything. They throw candy wrappers on the street, pee in peoples yards, ride bikes through yards and yes, enter peoples fenced yards without asking. Some people get tired of it and when they say something to these animals, they talk back in a very nasty way. You go to teh parents and ask WTF and the parents say "oh their just kids" or some other crap. So I blame the parents!!!!! I have 3 kids, two are boys, and I will tell you that my kids are the best mannered kids around. If they stray out of bounds all I have to do is look at them and they shape up. If they dont they know there are concequences. Kids are like anything else (dogs, cats, rose bushes, ......), they have to be nurtured, adjusted, pruned and sometimes need a serious adjustment (in that order!). If you dont do this you get animals, that is where we are heading in US and now Japan.

And again, I RESTRESS, that a kick to the face is overboard but 100 to 1 this was not the first incident adn that the kid lipped off. Not a justification but it is framework. So if your untrained animals come into my yard without permission they will leave at least a little "different". Notice "untrained" because decent kids that have manners and respect are treated as humans by me.

Thumb Away!!!!!

HA! You just took my title away.. Congrats to the new KING of Thumb DOWNS! wwwwwwwwwwwwwwwww

Oh dear Okimike, it seems you have a knack for choosing the worst holes to live in, whatever country you're in.....or maybe it's your own attitude that rubs folk the wrong way and digs you into that hole? Kids dropping candy wrappers are 'animals'? How exactly do you 'say something' to them? And your first approach to the parents is 'WTF'??

Kids are like anything else (dogs, cats, rose bushes, ......), they have to be nurtured, adjusted, pruned and sometimes need a serious adjustment (in that order!). If you dont do this you get animals

Your poor kids, getting 'pruned'... (the mind boggles, what are you doing to those kids??)

(btw, no matter how you raise dogs and cats, what you get is animals. It's indelible, in the genes. And no matter how much effort you exert on a rose bush, it will not ever turn into an animal. It's a plant. Irrevocably.)

@Yubaru

I have 3 kids, two are boys, and I will tell you that my kids are the best mannered kids around. If they stray out of bounds all I have to do is look at them and they shape up. If they dont they know there are concequences.......

And I'll bet 100 to 1 that your kids are scared shitless of you too. I've been on the receiving end of parents like you and it isn't love or respect they have for you it's fear, and they'll be scared for life too. That is an observation on my part not an assumption either.

And again, I RESTRESS, that a kick to the face is overboard but 100 to 1 this was not the first incident adn that the kid lipped off.

And I'll bet 100 to 1 again that you often assume things that aren't there. You have no idea what happened but are willing to crucify a kid for what you THINK he may or may not have done.

No child deserves what happened to this one, EVEN if he did lip off or otherwise. You try that with my son and I am guaranteeing you that you WILL end up worse.

Same here, Yubaru

Okimike67 needs to rethink carefully before acting. Some parents may not care that some stranger beat their kids over nonsense like picking up a ball, but other parents, like me, would lay that stranger inside a wooden box.

BlueWitch: I figured you would pop out since a kid was involved. It is hard for you to observe when you are not able to witness me in action though I am on Okinawa so let me know if you want to!

You may call my kids respect as scared shitless, perhaps as to justify your lax approch to raising yours. I was raised to respect adn I got my asses whipped many a time but I got the message and remember to this day. I have never whipped my kids but have "got" their attention. And they not only respect me but others as well or they get "adjusted", that is the role of a parent. My boys are in yakyu and every parent asks why are kids are so well mannered so SOMETHING must be right. And all teh kids want to come to our house to play, even with my RULES so I must not be the OGRE you portray.

I dont tolerate disrespectful obnoxious kids, OR THEIR PARENTS, well. And have a history of telling both so. Your kids are your responsibility and should not bother me; in my yard, kick the back of my airplane seat, kicking ans screaming at the super, throwing pet bottles and ice cream wrappers in my yard. If they do I WILL either scare the shit out of them or come to your door to "discuss". You should raise your kids to be respectful contributing members of society otherwise .....

BlueWitch; It is an honor to share the same air as you thumbs down winners. I am sure it is temporary since every time I rack a few good numbers they all ",mysteriously" change to ZEROS. Also some posts just disappear, and not ones that have curse words either. Me thinks that some "management" is exercised by the management! :)

Readers, please focus your comments on the story and not at each other.

He might be a high school Judo teacher, getting the kid ready. Hope there is a back ground to this that we are not aware of, to resort to this level of violence seems odd and dangerous. Glad my street is not populated with any violent individuals. Do have a grumpy old man- but I'm invisible to him.

I have never whipped my kids but have "got" their attention.

Why do I have a hard time believing this?

I dont tolerate disrespectful obnoxious kids, OR THEIR PARENTS, well. And have a history of telling both so. Your kids are your responsibility and should not bother me; in my yard, kick the back of my airplane seat, kicking ans screaming at the super, throwing pet bottles and ice cream wrappers in my yard. If they do I WILL either scare the shit out of them or come to your door to "discuss". You should raise your kids to be respectful contributing members of society otherwise .....

Parents like you raise kids into adults like the one that kicked this kid.

And Criky gets the Gold Star becaus there is DEFINETLY MORE to this story! Kids knocking over his bonsai, tramping the garden, teasing the dog... Still doesnt justify but he should not be portrayed by the media liek he just WIGGED OUT for no reason..... unless he did!

JT should take more time to revel more of the facts, but then it would not be as sensational and allow me to garner a nice -20 (thank you all!).

The guy obviously went too far. However, yes, Oki does have a point about "kids these days" and thinking they can do whatever they like. Knock on the door, ring the bell, ask to get the ball. End of story. Go into someone's "premises" (what exactly does that mean? The driveway? The yard?) and well, get told off. However, a kick to the face? Damn! Serious issues.

There are stages most of us implement in cases like this. First time politely ask the kids to ask for permission before they enter his property. If the owner is not home ask the kids to be careful not to damage anything if they go onto his property. Talk to the parents politely if one and two are ineffective. If the kids and parents are both rude, which happens these days new measures need to be taken. Call the police. If all of your efforts fail and kids are still being disrespectful then I can understand becoming frustrated. But a kick in the face is way out of line.

He should have just kicked the ball out of his yard and not the boy's face. This piece of shit belongs in prison.

Scumbag.

The kid might have attacked Kawabata first, though I doubt it. One thing is for sure, the kid should not have gone into the man's house without permission. Kawabata sounds dangerous.

Okimike67: "And Criky gets the Gold Star becaus there is DEFINETLY MORE to this story! "

Well, you're probably right about that, but I doubt in the manner that you intended. Unless this kid was already lying on the ground when he was kicked, or unless the guy is some black belt who can jump up high enough to kick the kid in the face, the kid was shoved to the ground before being kicked in the face. There is NO excuse for this man's actions, sorry. You can try to justify it by waxing nostalgic about the beatings you took as a kid (what lovely parents!), or how you'll go to someone's door and beat them (I bet you wouldn't have the gall to do it in this country -- you'd be deported in 10 seconds, especially being an American in Okinawa), and you can talk about all the bad behaviours kids exhibit in public to deflect from the deserved thumbs down you've received, but it doesn't change the fact that all this kid was doing was going to retrieve his ball. Should he have rung the bell first? probably -- but he's a KID, and kids will be kids... one thing that never changes over time. He didn't trample the bonsai or scream and throw PET bottles in the supermarket, amigo.

As for this schmuck and the kid, I hope the latter gets better and the parents seek a lawsuit. Sadly, I'm afraid the former will probably receive little if any reprimand, and no punishment (and the lawsuit wouldn't fly here regardless). We'll never get a follow-up report anyway.

SmithinJapan: As usual you take a slanted view. The post you refer to was that there is MORE TO THE STORY that neither you NOR I were privy to (thanks to either poor reporting or sensationalizing).

Was taught RESPECT by my Parents, something perhaps missed on you and most likely your kids (that is if you have any). Cant say what I really want to or yet another post will get deleated!

And just like there will be no follow up report, therw will be no complete report of the events leading up to this. So guess I will call my family in Kagoshima so I can get the true story.

Okimike oversimplified things a bit. There are circumstances that must be met before you could "legally" shoot someone on your property: The primary circumstance is the owner has to demonstrate a reasonable fear of bodily harm from the intruder. In the case of this story, a 9-year-old "intruder" isn't going to be a threat to an adult to the point where the adult could claim self-defense.

We haven't got the full story so it's difficult to pass judgement.

To be honest, I can understand the man's sentiment to kick the kid... I've thought the same kind of thing myself on occassion.

Some of the kid's around my place are the most obnoxious cheeky little runts you'd ever be unlucky to meet.

Obviously you don't kick the kid... the guy's gone too far... but I can understand where he's coming from.

Kicking boy just for trespassing in private property... Dammit, what a bourgeois! Here his nose would be broken by friends of this kid, even if friends was kids too.

@okimike67

I have to side with you here. You're absolutely right, the kids these days have no manners or respect towards anyone.

I agree the guy that kicked this little kids face is overboard. I mean the kid just went in the yard to get his ball back. We all used to do that when we were kids playing ball. Soccer Ball, Baseball, whatever, it's very common to go into peoples yards, break windows, no issues, Adults need to understand this and just let's kids be kids.

But overall yes parents these days are not responsible like before. Back where I'm from, we do something stupid like talk back to our elders or someone we don't know, show disrespect or other unsocial behavior and we get the belt nice and hard on our bottom.

Those days littering, spraying graffiti on private property, spitting in front of people, yelling back to strangers and intimidating people. Forget it, the belt is coming. All Parents will gang up and beat out bottoms blue.

And we learnt respect that way. It works really well believe me! And no I don't fear my parents because of the belt, i7m not scared of my parents of fearful, I respect them greatly and they taught me manners and respect.

I side with okimike67 on this. He has very good points, young people these days just won't understand this because respecting others is just not in their blood.

okimike and southsakai are spot on.

It's a no-brainer... you give kids an inch and they'll take a mile.

Kids need strong discipline and tough love IMHO.

I truly believe that kids brought up strictly are happier. They know where the line is and what happens when you cross it.

If kids just get a "time out" or some other ridiculous non-punishment then they start to push and push to see how far they can push the limit. In the end they are just pushing all the time and, I think, those kinds of kids are the most miserable kids out there.

My parents brought me up strictly and I love them... they did a great job making me the wonderful person I am now ;-)

We haven't got the full story so it's difficult to pass judgement.

Tut tut! I dont think it is right to expect a group of reasonably "educated" individuals who have been raised to believe whatever the government and media says to have a balanced approach to justice. The media has spoken, given the full and factual story in every minor detail and now it is time for the pitch fork brigade to deliver the verdict.

Maybe there is more to this story.

Yes. Or maybe the kid was obnoxious and cheeky and the man feigned a kick at him and the boy slipped over and broke his nose.

maybe the kid was obnoxious and cheeky and the man feigned a kick at him and the boy slipped over and broke his nose.

No, Kawabata has admitted 暴行したことは間違いない (It is true that I assaulted the boy), but has not said why. It seems he is not overflowing with the same righteous indignation at the 'lack of respect' kids today show their elders that seems to possess some posters.

All this talk of demanding 'respect' sounds more like the language of the gutter gangs than of responsible adults.

My parents brought me up strictly and I love them... they did a great job making me the wonderful person I am now ;-)

I can say the same about my parents. Thankfully they knew the difference between 'strict' (which they were) and 'violent' (which they were not).

We don't know the circumstances in the house. "kids playing dodgeball" could verywell be a cover story for "kids being hooligans" , and that particular kid just happened to enter the wrong house and messed with the wrong person.

Or , their story could very well be true, the the matter is, WE DON"T know all the facts. Sadly stories like this are rarely followed up by the media or JT.

Wow...kicked the kid in the face...he should get his butt thrown in jail....that's messing up the kids' respect for adults in general, and they might see that it's okay to just kick someone's face if they offend you just slightly. Man...adults these days...tsk, tsk, tsk. Hope the kid's doing okay though.

Choiwaruoyaji and SouthSakai, thank you!! Have a -54 on the thread and thats ok by me. At least someone agrees that kids these days are just not being taught to respect.

At least someone agrees that kids these days are just not being taught to respect.

So you use this reasoning to justify a kid getting kicked in the face retrieving his ball? Hmmmmm.......somethings not right here.

This is just plain wrong!! For shame!!

Teaching respect for others?? Private property?? Kicking a little boy?? In the face?? That is just WRONG!!

I'm with "OkiMike" on this..... "I was raised to respect and I got my asses whipped many a time but I got the message and remember to this day."..you and I both!!

Kicking a child is wrong period, discipline is another. I did not see anything in the article about the child getting lippy with the man. Even if he had we as adults as suppose to be above such loss of control.

"Police are continuing to investigate the circumstances that led up to the attack."

There is nothing in the circumstances that can justify this attack. There is nothing to investigate. Even if the kid was violent, lippy, cursing, etc. this guy should be behind bars for a long time. If he did this then he will do worse in the future.

There is nothing in the circumstances that can justify this attack.

You are privy to some information that we don't have? You were in the house and know exactly everything that happened? Maybe it will turn out that the kid is actually the one that should be in jail and the guy was justified in his actions? We simply don't know other then what his friends claimed to have been doing and claimed to have seen.

I admit the guy may have went too far, but I wonder did the kid have the decency to go up and ring the doorbell and ask if he could retrieve the ball? That simple act probably could have saved him from gettig kicked in the face. I wonder, was the guy wearing boots or house shoes?

We also don't know if the guy complained about the kids previously, and 17:30 is a tad late as kids are supposed to head home by 17:00. There might be quiet a bit of history involved there.

Either way if he was that upset he should have held onto the ball and told the kid your parents can come and fetch it.

Okimike: " At least someone agrees that kids these days are just not being taught to respect."

So you're saying in your nation you can teach a kid like the one here respect by shooting him legally for entering your yard? That you can beat respect into them, or threaten it into them? Do you agree with Japanese being forced to stand up for the national anthem and love their nation or lose their jobs? It's the same thing, you know, minus the beatings.

okimike: "Was taught RESPECT by my Parents, something perhaps missed on you and most likely your kids"

Not at all. I've been taught a great deal of respect, and your attempt to insult others and their families because you cannot offer a valid retort only shows that clearly the beatings your parents gave you (you said it, not me) haven't really taught you much at all except to vent your built up anger in ineffective ways.

The man has admitted to assaulting the boy, so why do you still defend him?

Readers, please stop bickering. Focus your comments on the topic and not at each other.

You are privy to some information that we don't have? You were in the house and know exactly everything that happened?

9 year-old kid.

42-year-old bloke.

What more information do you need?

Another tough Japanese guy.

okimike67

I see very little grafitti here. I find that most kids are pretty respectful. Litterbugs, well I tell them to pick it up. But it is usually not kids doing it, but rather adults.

Before entering someone's property, the best thing would be to politely ask.

This kicker has some bad issues that need to be mended.

Maybe he needs some Christian values.

Maybe he needs some Christian values.

How do you know he isn't one already?

Maybe he needs some Christian values.

How do you know he isn't one already?

Granted, many self-professed Christians don't follow the teachings they profess. Where does it say in the Bible 'It's OK for a grown man to kick a small child in the face'?

What??? Christian values??

lucky he didn't kick my 9yr old son in the face. another coward. smh

Granted, many self-professed Christians don't follow the teachings they profess. Where does it say in the Bible 'It's OK for a grown man to kick a small child in the face'?

No where. I made the comment because when ever someone try's to make a point that religious values are lacking, or that someone needs to learn something about values that are based in some sort of religion or another it just comes across as being ludicrous and hypocritical to me.

It's (no) thanks to religious values that the world in so many places is totally screwed up and Japan doesn't need any of that here.

It also bears noting that being respected and being feared are not even remotely similar concepts.

Punching, kicking, shooting, or otherwise inflicting bodily harm on a child, even if that child may very well be lacking in manners is excessive and wholly inappropriate in all but the most extreme of circumstances. And even then, probably not. To call smacking around a child "discipline" is not discipline at all, but rather the last resort of an adult incapable of managing his or her own anger and/or frustration.

Which, needless to say, calls into question who was being more immature here, the child who chased his ball into a neighbor's yard, or the supposedly more mature adult deserving of respect who has flipped his lid and KICKED a child half his size in the face, presumably for not saying, "Please" when he did so?

Jbeezy very good point, now put yourself in the child's shoes, very scary! Go and pick up a ball that goes into a neighbor's yard and get attacked, get your little nose broken by an ADULT. Now how would any decent parent here react to some idiot adult attacking your child? It would be time to get creative right?? Hmm. should I go after this guy with a baseball bat?? Wait I see nice shovel?? Anyway I am sure most loving parents would want to smash this old fart's brains out, right?? Let this old fart try and pick on somebody his own size and age and see how tough he really is, right??

Anyway I am sure most loving parents would want to smash this old fart's brains out, right?? Let this old fart try and pick on somebody his own size and age and see how tough he really is, right??

HEY! Who are you calling "old"?! I'm older than this guy and I'm not old! (SHEESH! Young whippersnappers these days have NO respect for their elders!)

If the boy was on the ground when kicked, as opposed to standing up on his feet, then the old man should be charged with attempted murder. Kicking someone in their head while they are prone is deadly.

So many good ole boys with their when I was a young un guff.pathetic.now there are poorly behaved kids in the world but kicking them in the head just isnt on.lot of tough guys on today.Id say the only place they are tough is in front of the mirror.

Where does the bast@rd live, and let't ALL go kick balls into his yard. See how he deals with an angry mob. Poor kid and at nine he will have to deal with years of psychological issues that will stem from this. Hope he gets good councelling and support.

first thing i said when i saw this was 'what the fluff?' who in there right mind would harm an innocent child? i mean sure there annoying and disrespectful but you dont hit them. especially in the face, thats low and cruel. i do hope the police are investigating this and find out the cause... because that man deserves to rot in jail...

Violence is bad, and this old geezer should know better, the guy is an adult right?? Unless this old dude is sick in the head, like mental problems and that he may be retarded or something then the lawyers would have to say this guy is too incompetent to stand trial for this crime,right?? And old is just a relative term, just a young is too, right??