"Pretty Like a Korean Actress"... Japan Buzzes Over Child Abuse Caregiver's Appearance

When the identity of a Japanese childcare worker involved in child abuse was revealed
"Pretty" some netizens praised her appearance

As the face and personal information of a Japanese daycare teacher accused of abusing children were revealed, the reaction from Japanese netizens has been unusual. Some praised the teacher's appearance, while others even formed fan clubs to defend her, sparking controversy.

Seira Sakuma, who admitted to the charge of 'child abuse.'
[Photo by FNN]

On the 27th, Japan's Fuji News Network (FNN) reported that daycare teacher Sakuma Seira (26) was arrested on charges of assaulting a child at a licensed daycare center in Setagaya Ward, Tokyo, including pulling the child's hair.

Earlier, Sakuma was accused of pulling the hair of a boy attending the daycare where she worked on two separate occasions in May. She allegedly pulled the child's hair so hard that his body staggered and roughly grabbed his hand to make him stand up, inflicting harsh physical abuse on the child.

The abuse was uncovered when the child's parents noticed bruises on his hands and questioned him, leading the child to confess, "The teacher pulled my hair." Sakuma was arrested on the 25th, and the daycare's closed-circuit television (CCTV) footage clearly captured her actions. During police questioning, Sakuma admitted, "I did pull the hair and make him fall," and said, "I committed the act out of irritation."

Despite committing the serious crime of child abuse, the response from Japanese netizens has been favorable. Upon the release of Sakuma's face and personal details, netizens defended her, commenting, "She is truly beautiful." Some said, "Her face is so pretty," "She looks like a Korean actress," and "It's hard to believe someone with an angelic face committed child abuse." There was even a fan cafe established for Sakuma.

Those observing this situation have raised critical voices. Local netizens criticized, saying, "Does being pretty erase the crime?" "Abusing a child is a serious wrongdoing," "Are you going to live just by looking at her face?" and "A world where being pretty means no guilt."

The police plan to investigate whether the child was subjected to regular abuse.