PM Abe vows to tackle growing child abuse in Japan

Prime Minister Shinzo Abe on Saturday vowed to crack down on the increasing number of child abuse cases in Japan after the death of a 10-year-old girl, allegedly killed by her abusive father, shocked the country.

vow, v.立誓，誓言

crack down on 严厉打击，严格治理

allegedly, adv.据说；据指控 

Mia Kurihara was found dead in the bathroom of her home in Chiba near Tokyo last month after authorities failed to respond to her repeated pleas for help. Her parents have been arrested on suspicion of assaulting their daughter after her father reportedly abused her regularly and refused to allow her to go to school.

plea, n.请求；申辩 | She pleaded for help repeatedly.

on suspection of, 因涉嫌 | on condition of 

Police have found a video on her father's mobile phone showing him hitting her, local media said, adding that she cried in the footage saying: "Dad, I'm sorry." 

footage, n.连续镜头 

The high-profile case has drawn huge media attention, promoting the government to take action amid growing public awareness over child abuse. Abe told members of his ruling Liberal Democratic Party that his government had ordered child welfare centers across the nation to confirm within a month the safety of all children suspected to have been abused. Abe also said the government would raise the number of child welfare workers by some 1,000 for the next fiscal year starting in April from the current 3,200.

high-profile, a.备受关注的，引发热议的；高调的 | to conduct high-profile military exercises

amid, prep. 表示位置） 在…中间; （表示环境） 处于…环境中; 由于存在…情况; （表示让步） 尽管有…的情况; 

some, a.大约

fiscal year, 财年

Police reported the suspected abuse of a record-high 80,104 minors to child welfare authorities in Japan in 2018, Kyodo News said.

minor, n.未成年人 | adolescents