As a Japanese-American, I thought I would put in a little bit of perspective regarding that matter. I realize in Western cultures that slapping your child is considered bad parenting, but hitting children is not looked on so negatively in Japan. As children, my dad was beaten by his family member for trying to steal, and when no student would confess to his or her wrongdoing, my mom’s teacher would simply hit everyone with a wooden ruler. My cousin during elementary school would have to get in push-up position, and her teacher would spank her with a metal rod. If she screamed, she’d hit her again. I went to school in Japan for a very short while, and I remember they had less traditional, more laboring means of discipline, such as the time I had to hold up a desk in the air until the end of the class. Even my friend who grew up in the United States was hit by her parents to the point where it left marks, and I too was hit as a child. And, honestly? I don’t think my parents were wrong in doing so. It sounds very strange and almost barbaric to Western ears, but in Japan it is not so abnormal. Granted, I’ve lived most of my life in the United States so times may have changed, but I think in general it is more accepted there. Even though I have integrated enough into U.S. society to where I would consider myself more Americanized than Japanese, I personally don’t see any fault in Tai’s mother.