Takarazuka theater admits to all harassment claims in death of actress

Here's hoping this admission of fault in such a complete manner truly results in a change in the culture of Takarazuka Revue.ReFuel.

The truth is that bullying and hazing has been an integral part of so many organizations for so long and this is not unique to Takarazuka Revue.

Sounds like a horrible and nasty organisation. You'd be an irresponsible and negligent parent to allow your girl to attend this theatre to train. Hopefully the senior theatre members who committed the abuses have their names exposed online.

Seeing their students on trains I have got the sense the place is like a military school, females in uniforms with similar hairstyles all walking the same way.

Condolences to her family and friends, rot the rest of your lives to those involved in bullying, and to any in management that might have turned blind eyes.

These letters of apology should be treated as admission of guilt (partial at least, depending on the contents). Any out of court settlement should not be allowed to override the natural course of justice that would have been taken with the information available. This opportunity to make a good example against harassment/bullying should not be missed.

 the actress suffered burns when a senior theater member pressed a hair iron against her forehead.

"We cannot confirm there was malice, but such an excessive action falls under harassment," said the official,

How is pressing a hair iron against someone's forehead not malicious?

So the women who committed the actual acts were cowards and couldn't face the parents and only submitted letters. What of these women now? Are they now gainfully employed in the entertainment industry? Any criminal charges, or law suits against the individuals?

Apologizes will not bring her back. A real justice should be there, but as you know better to keep quiet regarding entertainment company...

And the jail sentences? Probably none.

RIP to the lady and I hope this brings some comfort to her family.

This is woman on woman bullying. It can be just as nasty as anything men do.

Yasuo Shimada, center, president of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings Inc, the parent company of Japan's all-female musical theater company Takarazuka Revue, bows in apology during a press conference in Toyonaka, Osaka Prefecture, on Thursday,

Those impressive bows from such elite business leaders should make up for the millions in compensation which will NOT be coming to the family of a victim of horrendous harassment by the absent Japanese social justice judicial infrastructure.

Hankyu will carry on as usual.

They called this hazing in America, even though they the illegality ,

In Japan, you bow and your crime disappears . it is magic!!

among the incidents, the actress suffered burns when a senior theater member pressed a hair iron against her forehead.

"We cannot confirm there was malice, but such an excessive action falls under harassment,

No that's not harassment, it's assault. And how exactly do you burn someone's forehead with a hair iron without any "malice"? And how does any member of this troupe get past a day without the entire place noticing?

The family claimed that among the incidents, the actress suffered burns when a senior theater member pressed a hair iron against her forehead.

this is attempted murder. Whoever did this or similar acts, should spend a significant part of their life in jail. I can’t believe how horrible these creatures are.

after reading comments, i must say Western countries are not any better. This is an extreme case which i know that exist in all countries. Work place bullying and harassment is a culture in all western countries. Perhaps japan is slightly worse in the sense that when serious criminal acts come out, there is still no, or negligible, legal action against responsible people and companies.

Finally they admit what everyone suspected...but don't expect much to change, it's too deeply ingrained in the culture here.

According to my co-worker, this is only the beginning, more lawsuits will follow from past members who have quit under duress.

Also, I wonder if the victim's twin sister will continue with her career with Takarazuka Theater, considering how badly they have been treated by the theater company.

Justice shall prevail.

Oops no justice involved for the death of a person, where malice was surely everywhere (half of alleged complaints taken only...)

Little change to happen and those male seniors bowing is just a quick and effortless cleansing.

It makes me think like for Christians before when going to clear one's sins by admitting them to the priest.

Problem is now what changes will actually occur within the school and organization itself.

This place is famous for it militarized style of "training" women to perform.

Honesty

John

Today 10:09 am JST

after reading comments, i must say Western countries are not any better.

Must you? Why's that, exactly?

Bullying in it's myriad of forms exists everywhere as others noted.

What distinguishes the Takarazuka form is it's apparent institutionalized systemic nature.

It is not isolated, random or irregular in it's occurrence.

A hierarchical system of social/physical bullying that is built into the fabric of the institution as a way of demanding conformity, obedience and control.

Military training uses similar methods as even do some workplace and educational institutions.

Under a guise of "tough love" the weak are weeded out or in the least suppressed.

The hazing or razzing of newcomers to a place - as unfitting as that may well be - can never begin to be compared with an ongoing harassment process that is the de rigeur of daily life carried out over years.

Now moving well into the 21st C these 軍隊的 (Guntaiki) approaches belong to bygone eras, esp in the learning/work environment.

Oh dear, writing an apology letter and bowing in public should make it all disappear, right!!. No it will not, there should have been criminal charges brought here, but why not, oh, let me see, the over bearing patriarchal Japanese culture, but then, they did 'bow' in public so alls well.

The official also acknowledged the theater company's negligence in adequately educating its actresses to keep up with modern standards.

Haha. Modern standards of what? Hiding your bullying tactics? You finally fessed up, now revamp the entire system and put in a no-tolerance policy on any form of hazing, harassment or bullying AND enforce it.

How is pressing a hair iron against someone's forehead not malicious?

We don't have all the information. But what if one person was doing some ironing and another person attacked her. So she raised her hand holding the iron as a form of defense and it burned the attacker's forehead. But let's face it, we don't fully know what happened.

I once knew a senior Takarazuka member through the leader of her fan club. She was in the second top tier of her troupe. This was back in the early 1980s. She once visited my apartment with a group of more junior members of her troupe. They all seemed very happy and friendly, but perhaps because they had escaped the organization for a few hours.

How is pressing a hair iron against someone's forehead not malicious?

the meaning probably got lost in translation. does anyone the japanese word/kanji that was used?

maybe for the senior troupe members, it's not personal, just business...

The family claimed that among the incidents, the actress suffered burns when a senior theater member pressed a hair iron against her forehead.

Crazy. A real life version of that Korean series "The Glory".