Tokyo Nursery School Teacher Arrested for Alleged Sexual Abuse

Tokyo, Feb. 4 (Jiji Press)–Tokyo police have arrested a nursery school teacher for allegedly sexually abusing a boy during an overnight program, people familiar with the investigation said Wednesday. The Metropolitan Police Department arrested Masaaki Kimura, 40, who works at a nursery school in the Japanese capital’s Shinjuku Ward, on suspicion of indecent assault without consent, the people said. Kimura allegedly entered a room where the boy was sleeping during an overnight event at a lodging facility in Tateshina, Nagano Prefecture, and touched his lower body, according to the people. Dozens of boys who attend the nursery school or an affiliated after-school center have reported sexual abuse, according to the people. Kimura appears to have repeatedly engaged in sexual abuse for about four years. He has been suspended from duties since October last year. The nursery school operates around the clock, accepting children, from as young as 43 days old, of medical workers, government employees and restaurant employees among others, according to its website. A woman whose child attends the nursery school described Kimura as a “friendly teacher who greeted people cheerfully with a smile.” The chair of the school’s board said the organization would “carefully determine the facts and respond strictly.” END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]