Father of suspect arrested over knife attack outside University of Tokyo issues public apology

I feel sorry for him too.

Iron Lad

I feel sorry for him too.

Yes, he is in a terrible position. He probably knew his son had problems, but could he have foreseen this? I doubt it.

I gotta question the sanity of an education system that puts so much pressure on teenagers to succeed on exams that going on a suicidal stabbing/fire setting rampage seems a better option to getting bad scores on them.

@rainyday

There are fewer college-age kids now than there used to be. Pressure on teenagers to get into college has eased considerably.

I gotta question the sanity of an education system that puts so much pressure on teenagers to succeed on exams that going on a suicidal stabbing/fire setting rampage seems a better option to getting bad scores on them.

Exactly, anyone that sends their kids to juku instead of letting them enjoy their childhood is part of this problem.

i agree Japan's education system makes it so stressful for the kids... almost everyone says you cannot succeed the entrance exams without attending a shingaku juku (and its also stressful for the parents because its not cheap too)... i don't understand, why even have school when the classes are insufficient to prepare the students for entrance exams...absurd!

also juku's are money making machines so much so that they're publicly traded on the exchange (i.e Riso Kyoiku ticker: 4714, Kyoshin ticker: 4735)... i wouldn't be surprised if they have a say in how to structure the japanese education system to maximize their profits... sketchy companies...

The injured students should automatically be accepted to Tokyo University for what they went through.

TokyoJoeToday  06:21 pm JST

Exactly, anyone that sends their kids to juku instead of letting them enjoy their childhood is part of this problem.

Totally agree. The Juku system in Japan is essentially a scam supported by the ministry of education, high schools, and universities. There are cram schools all over the world but one usually only needs to go for a couple of months before an exam not for 3 - 4 years like in Japan. A lot of time it's peer pressure, 'Everyone is going so I have to too'. Many of the 'tutors' who work there are students who just recently passed the test and entered university. Perhaps that's why you have to go for 3 - 4 years; because the quality of advice and support is so poor, it takes that much time to learn how to pass entrance examinations. These tutors and the people who own and run Juku's are not educators.

The other question is why aren't high schools providing enough or the proper instruction to help students pass the exams? Why do so many have to rely on Juku's? Why is there so little commonality between what they teach in high schools and what's asked on university entrance examinations?

Then you have companies with their strange hiring practices based on one's 'personality' and not on one's major or specialization. I guess because Japanese companies want to 'mold' recruits into Nomura or SMBC people which takes upwards of 10yrs or more, so what they studied at university is irrelevant. If that's the case, why bother going to university aside from name and brand image.

Is this education?

There are fewer college-age kids now than there used to be. Pressure on teenagers to get into college has eased considerably.

The odds of acceptance have increased, yes, but that doesn’t mean the pressure applied to kids to succeed on these tests has been reduced.

There are cram schools all over the world but one usually only needs to go for a couple of months before an exam not for 3 - 4 years like in Japan.

It’s not 3-4 years. For those aiming for the top universities, it starts from 3rd grade in elementary school and goes through the last year of high school - 10 years.

There are fewer college-age kids now than there used to be. Pressure on teenagers to get into college has eased considerably.

You are talking the number of applicants and acceptance rate. Pressure on individuals is a separate matter

Thoughts on the victims and their families. This seems an appropriate action, curtailed by ‘cultural’ and ‘legal’ restraints, of a remorseful human being and grieving father:

‘we’ve been told to refrain from taking any action regarding this case. It is deeply regretful that I will be unable to visit the victims and apologize in person. I am sincerely sorry for this incident.”

NOMINATIONToday  07:39 pm JST

The injured students should automatically be accepted to Tokyo University for what they went through.

Maybe you mean well, but honesty, that makes no sense whatsoever. Try to see it from the point of vew of the University and all the other students who are taking the same test.

I am glad all three victims are fine.

But i do wonder what the penalty would be for the attacker as he is a minor and hasn't able to kill anyone. A mental hospital maybe? But one thing is for sure. His desire for a quick death ain't happening and he is gonna have a very hard life ahead.

Parents especially need to learn that there are far easier ways to help their kids succeed. Having attended a high level Japanese high school for a year it really scared me how much time they spent learning meaningless things, and in the end they end up at some big company to make a standard 500 - 1000万 salary for the rest of their lives. I probably haven't spent one percent of the amount of time they have spent on studies but I earn more and probably live a happier life. Just let your kids focus on what they enjoy, learning english alone would secure your kids future. Skip all the high level math and other meaningless stuff (unless you actually want to become something where that is useful).

Nomination, this is not the entrance exam to Todai, but a “standardized exam”, which replaced “central exam” from this year. The closest would be a baccalaureate in Europe. If you get a good score, then you can take the Todai entrance exam

Perhaps the parents knew their son had a problem. The question is did they know where they could go get him some help with out being ridiculed or told there is no support groups for his type of mental illness.

MilesTeg:

The other question is why aren't high schools providing enough or the proper instruction to help students pass the exams? Why do so many have to rely on Juku's? 

High schools suck because most of them are public - a government run bureaucracy. Juku's do better in teaching because they are private companies with lots of competitions among them - if you teach better, more students will come. That does not happen in public schools. What we need is to give Juku a license to provide High school diploma so that their students do not have to go to High schools.

Thanks god , this Japanese father can say sorry, there are some Japanese men that cannot even say sorry.

I would be mortified if my son did something like that. I think most parents try to raise there kids to be good people but sometimes that’s not enough and the parents and/ or children have psychological/ mental issues.

Insane, all the way.

"Juku's [sic] do better in teaching..."

A very debatable point; but what is certain is the plural of 'juku' is 'juku', and no apostrophe is necessary.

Be a father talk your son heart to heart be open with him so he could open too. Ask him what's bothering on him ?

Japan has to initiate and reinforce an alternative narrative where young people learn they can have a successful, fulfilling and purposeful life outside of the elite pathways. There is too much emphasis on exam taking not enough on developing communication skills and outlets where young people can receive support for their mental health as they make the difficult transition to adulthood. Many societies young people are rethinking the value of a university education because it is no longer a guarantee of employment and income. Japan's minimum wage also needs to increase to provide an adequate income so that young people can support themselves.

I feel sorry for him too.

I won't feel sorry unless I know what kind of person he is.

But I suspect he put too much pressure on his kid, ignored his problems, and eventually it all exploded.

You have to wonder how much his father contributed to his mental state.