ICHIHARA, Chiba -- A judo instructor who allegedly forced a 10-year-old boy to drink soy sauce during a "punishment game" has been arrested on suspicion of assault, police said.

Chiba Prefectural Police's Ichihara Police Station arrested Yuta Ishino, 32, head of the Ishino Judo Juku academy, on Nov. 27. The Ichihara resident has partially denied the allegation, saying he didn't do it in an aggressive manner.

Police suspect Ishino forcibly squeezed soy sauce from a bottle into the boy's mouth in the dining room of a guest house in the prefectural city of Minamiboso, where the academy was holding a training camp, at around 7:30 p.m. on May 5, 2023.

Police quoted Ishino as saying his action was part of an entertainment activity with punishments during a meal. The training camp was held over a period of three days from the day of the incident. The boy's father consulted police about the case in October this year and a damage report was filed.

(Japanese original by Tamiko Kobayashi, Chiba Bureau)