Former Nagasaki care worker admits assaulting three disabled people, says they “irritated” him

From The Nagasaki Shimbun

September 6 2025

NAGASAKI – The first hearing of a 49-year-old male employee from Iikura-cho, Nagasaki City, charged with assault for hitting three users at a disability support facility in Nagasaki City, was held on the 5th at Nagasaki District Court (Judge Torahiko Ota). The prosecution requested an eight-month prison sentence, and the trial concluded the same day. The verdict is scheduled for October 1st.

Prosecutors presented security camera footage showing the defendant grabbing a resident by the hair and throwing him to the ground. They argued that around 2022, the defendant found it “amusing” to see residents’ reactions when he struck the back of their heads while attempting to communicate, and that he went on to habitually poke and hit their heads, shoulders, and backs.

The 49-year-old defendant admitted the charges, saying, “I became irritated when residents didn’t listen to me. It was a careless act.” The defense argued that the defendant cooperated with the investigation and had shown determination not to commit violent acts again, and therefore requested a suspended sentence.

According to the indictment, in March the defendant assaulted three residents in their 20s and 30s with intellectual and physical disabilities at the facility, striking them in the head and face.