Photo/Illutration Offerings of candy are left at the Okayama home of Mao Nishida. (Asahi Shimbun file photo)

OKAYAMA--A panel of experts is criticizing a child consultation center for failing to heed concerns raised by police that a young girl’s life might be in danger--a situation that ended in tragedy.

The panel released its report on Oct. 11 that evaluated how local officials handled the case of 6-year-old Mao Nishida, who died in January.

The report said Okayama prefectural police told the municipal child consultation center that they were worried for Mao’s life after she was found standing naked in a cemetery in September 2020.

The report said the organization “failed to assess the case as one that involved serious danger.”

Mao’s mother, Aya, 34, and her common-law husband, Seiji Funahashi, 39, have been indicted on several charges, including detainment of a child resulting in death.

The two are suspected of repeatedly abusing Mao in September 2021, including by forcing her to stand for hours on end in a pot and making her induce vomiting by gagging herself with her finger, according to the report.

Authorities suspect that on Sept. 25, the two wrapped Mao in a futon and abandoned her. She died four months later, after suffering brain damage due to oxygen deprivation.

The panel was tasked with probing into why the city government was unable to prevent Mao’s death from abuse, despite that red flags were raised.

When local police found Mao blindfolded and standing naked in the cemetery in September 2020, officers told the child consultation center they were worried her life may be in jeopardy because they suspected Funahashi might take revenge.

The report concluded that even though police had uncovered the existence of a male companion they suspected was likely perpetrating abuse, the child consultation center did not sufficiently recognize the danger. It only took Mao into protective custody and meanwhile did nothing about her siblings.

The report said the center likely failed to accurately comprehend the family’s situation.

The child consultation center released Mao from protective custody after two weeks without raising the risk assessment level for possible abuse since the two suspects appeared to adopt an apologetic attitude.

The report noted that the child consultation center had its hands full with other cases at the time as well.

The report called for officials to become more aware of the dangers present when a parent does not allow officials from a child consultation center to meet with the child or provide support.

It said in August 2021, before Mao was rushed to a hospital, a staffer from the consultation center had visited the Nishida home but was turned away.

“She went to her grandmother’s home,” Mao’s mother told the official.

The staffer ultimately never met with Mao.

The report pointed out that a guardian may avoid such meetings to conceal abuse.

It also outlined measures to prevent a recurrence, such as by limiting the number of children each staffer handles and improving personnel exchanges with the prefectural police and the city’s board of education.

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