273 teachers in Japan punished in fiscal 2019 for sexual misconduct

Tokyo-mDec. 23 09:27 am JST

Sometimes I really feel there is a deep sickness in this country.

There is a "deep sickness" in ALL Human 'countries'. The only country in which this 'sickness' is not obvious to you is your own, wherever it might be. The best part of living in a foreign country for years outside of a 'gaijin' bubble such as those who come to Tokyo for a year never leave (never actually live in 'Nihon'), you adjust in such a way that when you get back 'home', you can see your own culture much more clearly and horrifyingly and understand better that it is Humanity, not any particular splinter of it, that is deeply sick and that that 'sickness' is nothing more than our tolerance for the parasitic psychopaths who dominate every 'country' and who rule us all with subliminal fear and death. They are the root of Humanity's many millennia of fulminating pathology (see: History). And these parasites pass through our schools on their way to Corporate or the local equivalent of the Yakusa. It's the same for all of us on this planet.

The actual numbers are likely decreasing, in my opinion. More victims are reporting and more BOEs are taking action against offenders. The gap between “punished” and “actual incidents” is likely going to decrease thanks to these measures. Harsher punishments (jail time?) or at least permanently losing a teaching license seems fair.

Nothing will change here you have a male dominated country that expects women to be submissive and to bare children. You see this happening from the time the kid enters school the girls are separated from the boys. The sad part is women who have these men treat their son totally different from their daughters. Things will not change as long as the people in Japan continue to have this mindset.

The number must be higher. Japanese adult industry as well as the whole 'idol' phenomena is sexualizing children and they know it. There also ought to be a lot of ALT/JET who are guilty of this, but not caught, as well. Everytime I mention this the moderators here delete my comment.

We've read some of those stories on JT. A few months ago there was a faculty member from Fujisawa City molesting a girl in the train one afternoon (or was that the one spreading bodily fluids on a schoolgirl in the train)? I think the violent and sexual imagery in manga and J-porn contributes to some of these faculty acting out what they've seen or read.

I swear, looking at all my coworkers, working long hours and weekends, teaching in Japan is basically equivalent to working for a "black company".

Long hours and weekends doesn't always mean productive work is being accomplished. It's a real misconception of Japanese workers and teachers. That said, public and private secondary schools in Japan are taking measures to reduce the working hours of teachers. It's required by law that teachers must take off 4 days in a month. That has been heavily reinforced at my school since this school year. Similarly, there are some days where teachers at my school must clock out at 4:30. Clubs are not allowed on these days and school doors are shut by 6.

As to the topic, it would be helpful to have a database of offenders. We had a teacher hired temporarily who was fired from another school for inappropriate relations with a student. Once found out, they were promptly let go. But no one was aware at first.

While it is a problem, but how much of a problem as what is reported would suggest? How many male teachers in elementary and high school across the nation (since 97% of the perps are male, and victims are 18 and younger)?

Comparative to other nation?

A Johnson: "Why is this even a story? Do the readers forget Japan is 120-130,000,000 people???"

Love how you guys deflect. We are talking about TEACHERS -- people put in charge of the care of children. But once again, since you insist on numbers, that is almost one teacher every day in Japan charged with sexual assault -- only ONE occupation. You act like it's every single act of sexual assault in the nation, per year, regardless of the nature of the job an the trust we put into the people to do said job, and take care of our kids. Amazing how you can just shrug it off and don't care one bit, suggesting it shouldn't even deserve acknowledging so that it would never be dealt with.

The above figures show what has been reported, I wonder just how many more cases there actually is? looking at it from a Childs perspective you would have thought ( like here in the west ) that you report a teacher because he/she has crossed the line, it get reported and there is an official paper trial with an investigation, and IF, the teacher has crossed the line they will be dealt with accordingly. but when a lot of this stuff is swept under the carpet, and knowing nothing will get done about it, will children be willing to come forward and make an accusation? probably not, as they know the they have class with that teacher a some time, and the teacher is going to make it a living hell for the child. I wonder how many suffer in silence?

Why is this even a story? Do the readers forget Japan is 120-130,000,000 people??? in the US “Chicago sees 273 sexual harassment cases in 2020 would be laughed at. why does even the Japanese media report this stuff? Where is the statement about how shockingly low this number is?

Why do you "compare" the cesspool of crime in the US to Japan? American's have become numb to the crimes that are committed there, that a story like this is questioned as even being news.

Molestation accounted for the most cases of sexual misconduct at 84, followed by intercourse at 49 and non-consensual photography and voyeurism at 33.

Misconduct? This is rape!

Why is this even a story? Do the readers forget Japan is 120-130,000,000 people???

in the US “Chicago sees 273 sexual harassment cases in 2020 would be laughed at.

why does even the Japanese media report this stuff? Where is the statement about how shockingly low this number is?

And how many have not been caught?

That's pretty much one per day. Good old Japan.

Then there's this:

"The number of teaching staff who requested leave for mental illnesses stood at a record high of 5,478."

Which is exactly 15 per day. Maybe it's time to stop giving out teachers' licences based on rote memory tests and start doing what most civilised countries do; basing license on practica that span beyond the mandatory two weeks in a classroom.

Male teachers made up 97.4 percent of the offenders

and about 99% of the A-Holes in the teacher's room too.

nine received warnings

That'll teach them.

"Hey, Tanaka. Don't ever do that again, you hear me?!??!?!"

"suimasen..........."

Well, blame the Japanese government, blame the Japanese BOE, blame the loser male teacher population, add that to a lack of a public national sexual predators list and mandatory jail time, and this is what happens.

Good job Japan, just another way of taking the childhood away from the youth.

No wonder many grown ups turn out to be such jack turds.

I'm not really surprised. My daughter's teacher married his junior high school right after she graduated from high school. Also, my student's daughter's junior high school teacher was arrested for having sex with a high school student. The number of 273 here may even be too low.

What do you complain? Employ only female teachers and avoid then the remaining 2.6% by all lessons completely remote and online. If you really wanted it abolished you could have done it easily already for years.

Japan need to have a sex offenders register.

Why is there not a national roster of names available to schools to prevent them being reemployed?

Japan's school system is decentralized and managed by local authorities in city & prefectural levels. Due to lack of nationwide data sharing, re-employment is technically possible for dismissed teachers by crossing prefectural borders. This problem is already pointed out, a reform on database urged. I think it will be soon solved.

Scary to think that there are hundreds of John Dupee's and Jeff Sokals out there working in Japanese schools. 

Thousands, more like it.

Allowing sexual predators to keep their jobs is shocking, the authorities are complicit in the abuse.

"The number of teaching staff who requested leave for mental illnesses stood at a record high of 5,478."

isn't this even more alarming?

and no one cares.

Although it is alarming, it is not more alarming than sexual molestation of students by teachers; instead it is its own separate serious topic that deserves an article by itself as the two are unrelated figures. Unfortunately, this situation is often overlooked, and some politicians actually encourage it, by speaking to their base about what they term as spoiled entitled teachers and their all too powerful unions.

Teachers ...they in a class of their own arn't they.

No, teachers just belong one of those professions where there are opportunities and daily temptations. Living in a sexually repressed society many Japanese suffer from a work-life balance of such poor quality that they don't even have the time to work on their personal issues and society's hypocrisy just makes matters worse. Trying to understand the dark pathways of human sexuality is not to condone the behavior of those who "cross the line", but the Japanese really do need to have a more open discussion on the silent sexual malaise afflicting their society.

If the teachers actually took time off during the summer, winter & spring school holidays, they might be able to recharge their batteries & come back to work refreshed.

The fact that they’re at work definitely contributes to their stress

that is less than half of the actual unreported or ignored cases..

what is alarming is that 30% received no punishment

45 were reprimanded or received lighter penalties.

what is even more alarming those figures are just for those under 18 y.o. imagine if they included the 18 y.o. highschool students or college freshmen

It's also got to do with some students (and this young generation) but they are seen as innocent/underage by the society and the outsiders.

Once the student or teacher have some kind of rage or hatred against teacher/student, he/she might go onto extreme level such as bullying/revenge/abusing/suicide.

Such anger/dismal happens due to Embarrassment in class / Questioning / Bullying Students / Private Deep Love / Competition Games / Targeting etc.

The problem is their inner sense. No one can changed it. Let's say if someone's bullying problem is solved, then his/her suicide problem won't be because no one is aware of.

Scary to think that there are hundreds of John Dupee's and Jeff Sokals out there working in Japanese schools. Japan needs its own version of TCAP.

Teachers ...they in a class of their own arn't they.

expatToday 08:45 am JST

Why is there not a national roster of names available to schools to prevent them being reemployed?

That's a very good question. Why isn't there one?

Just when you thought it couldn't be more foul:

Japanese pedophiles/nettoyo attack NYT journalist who broke story about child exploitation on porno sites:

https://twitter.com/UnseenJapanSite/status/1338617687350464512

The Japanese authorities attitude to this is the same as to covid19: if you don't record the data there's no problem.

I swear, looking at all my coworkers, working long hours and weekends, teaching in Japan is basically equivalent to working for a "black company".

Dismissed doesn't mean indicted and prosecuted. Why aren't these figures released? The system that the schools are using is to protect themselves, not the students. The schools had also better start screening better and start addressing teachers' mental health issues as well. The system has to be overhauled big time, the children are the future of the country and it starts with education.

The ministry, which has urged education boards to dismiss all teaching staff found to have engaged in sexual misconduct, is also considering raising the blackout period from three to five years for those who have lost their teaching license due to disciplinary action.

this is the most baffling part of the article. why aren't their licenses revoked forever?! come on, japan...smgdh.

"The number of teaching staff who requested leave for mental illnesses stood at a record high of 5,478."

isn't this even more alarming?

and no one cares.

I wonder what the number is for private schools?