The Diet enacted Wednesday a revised law banning parents and other guardians from physically punishing children, following several fatal cases of abuse dealt out in the name of discipline.
Another law was also amended to strengthen the ability of child welfare centers to intervene in abuse cases by separating staff members in charge of taking children into protective custody from those dealing with their guardians.
Though there are no penalties for offenders, the revised abuse prevention law states that parents, foster parents and heads of child welfare centers are banned from physically punishing children while attempting to discipline them.