Japanese Mayor Files Complaint Against Nursery Head Over Child Abuse Cases

Japanese mayor files complaint against nursery head over child abuse cases

The mayor of a city in Shizuoka Prefecture, central Japan, has filed a complaint with police against the head of a nursery over his alleged cover-ups of suspected child abuse cases involving its workers.

The mayor of Susono City, Murata Harukaze, submitted the complaint on Monday against Sakurai Toshihiko, who heads Sakura Hoikuen -- a private nursery school authorized by the local administration.

Japan Ranks 20th In Child Well-being Report

Japan ranks 20th in child well-being report

Japan has ranked 20th out of 38 in a UNICEF report on the well-being of children in the world's richest countries.

In the report released on Thursday, UNICEF evaluated the well-being of children of high income countries that are members of the OECD or the EU. The result was based on three dimensions: mental well-being, physical health and skills for life.

Shinoda Mariko Gives Birth To First Child

Shinoda Mariko gives birth to first child

On April 1, former AKB48 member and actress Shinoda Mariko (34) announced that she gave birth to her first child. 

Via her Instagram and Twitter accounts, Shinoda reported, "I apologize for making a personal announcement during this time, but I gave birth to a healthy baby girl the other day. Thankfully, both myself and baby are doing well.

Father Gets 16 Years For Fatal Child Abuse

Father gets 16 years for fatal child abuse

A court in Japan has sentenced a man to 16 years in prison for the fatal abuse of his 10-year-old daughter.

The Chiba district court on Thursday handed down the prison term to Yuichiro Kurihara for inflicting injuries to his daughter Mia that resulted in her death.

Becky Gives Birth To First Child

Becky gives birth to first child

It's been reported that Becky (36) gave birth to her first child early this month. Her agency confirmed the reports after an interview with ORICON STYLE. The sex and birthdate of her baby have not been revealed. 

Becky married baseball coach Kataoka Yasuyuki (37) in January of last year. Her pregnancy was announced last November.

Yasuda Misako Gives Birth To Second Child

Yasuda Misako gives birth to second child

On March 10, talento Yasuda Misako (37) updated her Instagram account and announced that she had given birth to her second child on February 23. In addition, she revealed that she left her agency last year as her contract had expired. 

Lexus Made An Lx Ride-on For A Child With Cerebral Palsy

Lexus made an LX ride-on for a child with cerebral palsy

Ride-on vehicles, or Power Wheels as many know them, are a perfect way for young children to experience driving and cars for the first time. Unfortunately, certain congenital disorders can prevent some children from having that from experience. Lexus, in collaboration with Givewith and the Cerebral Palsy Foundation (CPF), wanted to help reduce the barrier of access to fun mobility, and has created an LX ride-on specifically customized for a girl with cerebral palsy. 

Six-year-old Finley Smallwood has the most common motor disorder that affects children, cerebral palsy. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), cerebral palsy is "a group of disorders that affect a person's ability to move and maintain balance and posture." Because of this, she is unable to use ride-on vehicles the way they are currently built. Lexus was inspired by Finley to design and develop solutions that could get here into a car.

Ogura Yuko Is Pregnant With Her Third Child

Ogura Yuko is pregnant with her third child

Talent Ogura Yuko (36), better known as "Yukorin," has announced that she is pregnant with her third child. 

On Instagram, she announced, "It's personal, but I have been blessed with my third child. I have safely entered my stable period, and my health has settled down, so I would like to make this announcement to everybody."

Petition Rejects Pardons For Child Sex Abusers

Petition rejects pardons for child sex abusers

A Japanese non-profit group helping sexual abuse victims is urging the government not to pardon child sex offenders.

Members of the group met Justice Minister Masako Mori on Thursday to make the request in connection with the pardons the government granted to mark Emperor Naruhito's enthronement ceremony last year.