A male employee of an authorized day care center in the city of Miyazaki was found abusing a boy at the facility, slapping or threatening to cut off his penis if he didn't behave, the municipal government revealed Tuesday.
According to municipal officials, the worker in his 30s had slapped the child when he failed to obey. When the child did not go to sleep during nap time, the worker showed him a pair of scissors and threatened to cut off his penis. The boy did not suffer any injuries, but began imitating the man and pointing a pair of scissors at others, they said.
The incident came to light in October when a parent of the child consulted the nursery school. The man reportedly told the officials that he wanted to frighten the child and make him behave.
The school suspended him from work, and the man quit in December.
Mitsuo Hagimoto, head of the municipal government's division in charge of child care, said the city has asked the school to offer mental care support to the child and come up with measures to prevent a recurrence of such incidents.