Story By: Michael Leidig; Sub-Editor: Joseph Golder; Agency: AsiaWire Report;

Picture Credit: AsiaWire

A Japanese dad has been arrested for using an electro shock collar designed for training dogs to discipline his kids.

The collar was reportedly used by the man each time his kids failed to properly do their homework or carry out jobs around the house that they had been instructed to do by dad Takahiro Goto, 45.

The man was arrested at the family home in the south-western Japanese city of Kitakyushu in Fukuoka Prefecture and reportedly admitted to using the collars, saying it had been needed in order to “discipline” his children, two stepdaughters aged 17 and 11 and his biological son aged 13.

The children were taken into care and the youngest boy, still in primary school, was found to have light burn marks on his neck. The eldest girl had apparently started being shocked using the collars at the age of five and the collars were sometimes used several times a day, according to local media.

The scandal came to light when the 17-year-old mentioned it to one of the teachers at a new school who in turn raised it with a child consultation centre that then called in the police.

Electroshock collars used to train dogs to follow commands such as to stop them barking are illegal in many countries, and it is believed the one used by the Japanese man had been purchased from abroad.

Pictures of the device show that it was sold with an English label reading “Rechargeable and Waterproof Training Collar” and displays a picture of a dog.

The physical punishment of children is illegal in Japan.