A 21-year-old female nursery school teacher in the city of Kagoshima was arrested on Saturday for allegedly slashing the neck of a boy at the nursery with a knife-like object, according to police and local media reports.
The attack, which is being treated as attempted murder, is believed to have occurred at around 11:00 a.m. Friday near the entrance of the nursery school when the children were returning to the building after playing outside, NHK said Sunday, quoting the facility’s lawyer.
The suspect, Natsuki Sasayama, was sent to the prosecutors on Sunday. Sasayama reportedly told investigators, "There's no doubt that I hurt him, but I did not intend to kill."
There were no witnesses, and the incident was not captured on security cameras.
The victim, now being treated at a hospital, sustained serious injuries that will take at least a month to heal. Kagoshima Minami Police Station’s Tsutomu Tojigamori said they arrested the suspect early Saturday after questioning her and others.
In a meeting to brief parents on the incident on Sunday afternoon, the chairman of the nursery apologized over the incident and said it would set up a panel consisting of lawyers, doctors and parents to develop measures to prevent a recurrence, according to NHK reports.
The Asahi Shimbun, meanwhile, has reported that there were many cases of children in Sasayama’s class sustaining scratches and cuts.