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Those who suffer bullying at school can often feel that the ramifications last long after graduation. That was allegedly the case for a young woman from a state school in Fukuchiyama City, Kyoto, who filed a lawsuit against her junior high school and four of her classmates. She claimed that due to their bullying, and presumably the school’s inaction in stopping said bullying, she developed schizophrenia. As a result, she demanded the city and the classmates responsible pay her reparations to the value of roughly 90 million yen.
The lawsuit was filed in 2016 and concerns the period between April 2012 and March 2013, when the girl was in her second year at junior high school. Her initial claim was heard by the Kyoto District Court, where the judge ruled that there was no relationship between the student’s schizophrenia and the fact she was bullied. The four classmates were ordered to pay a suggested amount of 250,000 yen each, but the school’s countermeasures were deemed satisfactory and so all claims against them were dismissed.
The case then moved to the Osaka High Court where the proposed payment was reduced to a 20,000 yen payment from a single classmate of the four allegedly involved.
The girl’s final appeal was made to the Supreme Court of Japan, with judge Hiroshi Koike overseeing the case. On Oct 15 her claim was officially dismissed, and the judge ruled to uphold the Osaka High Court decision to charge just one classmate to pay 20,000 yen to the plaintiff.
Many online readers were surprised by the outcome of the court case and the low final charges leveled against the girl’s bullies. Commenters when the news broke responded with sarcasm and dismay:
“Great, does this mean I can pay 20,000 yen to bully whoever I like?”
“They need to install cameras in the schools to stop this from happening.”
“Bullying isn’t something you can settle with just a 20,000 yen payment. Just being bullied can cause you to become seriously ill. I was burned with a soldering iron and the scars haven’t healed after twenty years. There was this girl, too, who had visual and hearing impediments, and they cut her gym clothes into shreds.”
Others expressed doubt about the severity of the girl’s bullying, while some commenters asserted that regardless of her alleged mental problems they didn’t approve of her pressing charges against the city, especially for so much money. The details of the bullying were not made public, so speculation and debate about this ruling are certain to continue far into the future.
Source: Yahoo!Japan News/Kyodo via My Game News Flash
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- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2020/10/29/court-verdict-reached-on-kyoto-schoolgirl-who-sued-bullies-for-causing-her-mental-illness/
17 Comments
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Monty
Bullying is one of the biggest crimes.
You can damage the mental health of the victim for the rest of his or her life.
Bullys must be punished really hard, so that they learn their lesson.
Not just with 20.000yen.
Takara
oldman,
disagree. She should got at least that 250 000yen per each bully. Just 20 000 sends very bad message.
WA4TKG
Pathetic, after everything she went through.
You know if it was all fraudulent, it never would have even got to court.
since1981
I guess they don't have AI in that school. (Sarcasm people).
As a person bullied most of my childhood, I do sympathize with the victims. Has it effected my adulthood? Yes and No. Yes, I don't trust most people if kind to me. Always waiting for the 'jokes on you'. And No as in a way has made me a stronger person and ALWAYS jump in when I see someone being bullied.
James
When I moved to a new school I was picked on by a few of my classmates. Punching somebody in the head did not solve my issue but only made it worse. I have found that it is a tactic that does not work as it results in the desired "bite". And those that say violence solved their issue are lying and were not bullied but were the bullies. You are better to ignore the bullies and report it to a parent or Teacher as soon as possible.
Change "you" learn some manners be polite LOL at peoples jokes and compliment them when they do something greatish... then you will not be bullied.
Chico3
I don't condone violence, but I don't put up with it either. @ Paul - Congratulations to you. I'm sure most of us have been bullied. I dealt with mine by blocking his punches and picked him up and threw him in a dumpster. That was the end of that. Bottom line, use your head and think things through, but don't put up with it and turn passive agressive.
isoducky
Difficult to compensate for bullying. Especially forcing students to compensate students as ultimate responsibility falls on the school. This is likely the reason for the reduced payment.
Concerned Citizen
@James
Well said.
kaminokaze
I was one of the smallest built when I was at Junior and Middle.
I was bullied so much in the Junior and Middle that I cried almost every day.
It is not just feelings and physical damage that occurs, it affects your personality, it affects your education, it affects your achievements. It may even affects now.
Urge of revenge is so intence, if there is nothing called the law, I would be planning to offer the same horror to their life right now.
Thanks to the circle of friends that I could built in the final years of the mid school, bullies could not reach me.
I have just one advice to the parents who have adolescents...
Help your kids to buildup good friendship with their friends. A strong one. That will reduce 90% of these chances. Isolated kids are often targeted by bullies. At least, that is my experience say.
mmwkdw
Sue the Educational Establishment for Neglect of her rights as a pupil to be educated without inhibition ..
mmwkdw
Bullying happens, it's a "natural" thing that goes on throughout life... Women even Bully men when in powers of position... its just a fact of life... how you deal with it, determines the outcome.
Concerned Citizen
As a former school teacher I can say that it just seems to be human nature for school kids to tease and taunt each other. But they need firm adult guidance and discipline to learn that it is wrong.
Those on the receiving end also need adult help in order to overcome the pain and to learn resilience.
I don't think legal action is the answer. Rather, it's best to just see these things as part of growing into a strong, mature adult capable of dealing with the real world.
Arrrgh-Type
Seems like a series of baffling decisions at first, but when you realize that Japanese courts exist mainly to enforce the status quo, then their judgements start to make sense.
foreignbrotherhoodarmy
Good. It was clearly only about the money wasn’t it.
Paul
When an older boy started bullying me, I told my father about it. My father said "I can't physically do anything about it, but I will teach you boxing" which he did. then a week later that boy started on me again and I broke his nose. That was the end of bullying! Students or parents complaining about bulling to schools or going to courts will not solve the problem and can actually make things worse, kids need to look after themselves. Stop being so passive and depressed, get angry instead!!!
oldman_13
Good decision.
While I do not condone bullying, I don't believe in frivolous lawsuits like these either.