Stepfather given 13 years in Tokyo fatal abuse case

October 15, 2019

Tokyo--Tokyo District Court sentenced the stepfather of a girl to 13 years in prison on Tuesday over a high-profile abuse case in which the five-year-old daughter died in Tokyo's Meguro Ward in 2018.

Public prosecutors sought an 18-year prison term for Yudai Funato, 34, who was indicted on charges including of causing bodily injuries to the girl and negligence as a guardian resulting in her death.

According to the indictment, Funato caused his daughter, Yua, to suffer malnutrition from late January 2018 and sprayed cold water on her while hitting her in the face in the bathroom of their home a month later.

On March 2 that year, Yua is believed to have died of pneumonia after her parents did not allow her to receive medical treatment.

Funato's wife, Yuri, 27, was sentenced to eight years in prison last month for failing to protect her daughter. Jiji Press