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Gifu prefectural police plan to send papers to prosecutors on three junior high school boys accused of bullying a classmate who committed suicide in July.
The 14-year-old boy, wearing his school uniform, jumped to his death from an apartment building on the morning of July 3. His body was found in the apartment parking lot. Police said he left a note saying he had been bullied and assaulted at school by three students, Fuji TV reported.
After the boy’s death, police and local education board officials conducted interviews with the boy’s classmates and discovered that three students had forced him to prostrate himself in the school toilet the day before his death. It was also learned that the three accused bullies had shoved the victim’s face into a toilet bowl and forced him to eat food he didn't like.
Furthermore, local media reported that one of the boys is facing charges of both extortion and assault after slapping him and demanding money.
The bullying is said to have started in April after the boys entered their third year of junior high school. The torment and taunting began to escalate one month before the boy’s death in July, according to police and education board officials.
© Japan Today
16 Comments
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seif
How about the teachers. I'm sure some of them were aware of the bullying.
sensei258
But nothing serious will happen to these guys. They will bow and apologize and smirk when nobody's looking, while their parents pay gomenasai money through the nose
shallots
More punishment will not solve this problem in the least. Whatever happens to these kids, who may be victims in their homes as well, conflict resolution, restorative justice and counseling are better ways towards instilling ethics and a culture of peace. Prosecution is a way for managers of the system to sidestep responsibility and pretend nothing needs to change. Restorative Justice, BTW, doesn't replace punishment and is not its opposite. It DOES include considering greater causes as well as healing for victims and the community.
Kazuaki Shimazaki
@shallots Today 06:21 pm JST
Well, maybe the next ones. But these ones should just be given a heavy sentence. You can't educate everyone, and for those who can't be educated ... well, they can only be deterred. It is important to set a line and make it clear that No, you aren't **de facto immune**.
If the facts warrant, some of the teachers may be put up on Negligence on Duty Leading to Death,too.
Do the hustle
It took me a little while to figure out what ‘prostrate himself’ actually meant.
This kid was bullied over an extended period of time. Both his teachers and parents had to be aware of the suffering he was enduring. Too little, too late.
Kazumichi
Install surveillance cameras in all classrooms
ozellis
There should be consequences for kids doing this. Serious ones.
We should also be developing better teachers to identify this kind of behaviour.
Neither of these problems are being addressed in the current system.
thepersoniamnow
Bullies should be sent to Juve.
They commit assault. Its the same as robbery or other crimes.
David
I have zero sympathy for children (or their parents) who are reared with no love and taught that aggressive dominance equals well being.
rot in hell bullies. Hope the parents suffer too.
no compassion
Garthgoyle
Wish the system would punish these thugs but they won't get much more than a slap on the wrist.
Chico3
Unfortunately so, and so is that reality in Japan. Remember the kidnap/rape/murder case in the late 80s in the Adachi section of Tokyo? The parents might beg the victim's parents not to prosecute, but if I were the victim's father, no begging nor gomennasai will get me to forgive. My move to prosecute to the fullest extent.
602miko
I can't believed those youngster boy can do such things?
macv
never forget how the Japanese legal system punished kidnappers torturers rapists murderers of Junko Furuya they are free living in society https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Murder_of_Junko_Furuta
sir_bentley28
This ain't America, you know! Most bullying doesn't take place in the class.