Japanese karate champion testifies she was bullied by official

Why didn't she just quit or get another trainer or do the millions of other things she could have done so as not to be bullied? Just questions.

She’s a karate champion. But She should have kicked him in the groin to stop him from bullying her.

Maybe girls shouldn't be doing martial arts if they're going to cry abuse for rigorous training.

Notice how none of the men are are crying "abuse"? This is hardcore bushido.

Keep them coming people!! Name and shame time! As the father of a child growing up in Japan one of the worst aspects of the culture is its inherent acceptance of bullying.

Here’s a pic of the sensai

https://images.app.goo.gl/bmLRLPgteiS8ohrj6

You’re 100% right, this time, @EuroDude 7:41am

*- “Probably thought he will tough her up by bullying and insulting her. This is Japanese culture for you: “Bullying and power harrasement.” -*

For example, the daily ’hit & run’ tactics of one commenter is just another form of bullying here. He’s often ‘overlooked’ for His ‘bullying’. He offers nothing productive to stimulate the dialogue. Perhaps @8:24a should ‘look in the mirror’ before calling others’ s opinions “childish”.

So much for the "teach your kids martial arts to stop them getting bullied" fantasy.

Hitting someone in the face with a shinai bamboo sword is probably also disrespectful to kendo. Kendo practioners use helmets with full-cage face guards and the face is not a point-scoring target, only the top of the head.

Suggestions here either involve physical retaliation (illegal) or cutting her losses because she's a woman. Y'all are a sad bunch.

My dojo has no protection gear. I think it is good training to avoid a stick with bare hands. But the sensei must use control. He should be thrown out. Martial Arts is about respect. Both ways.

I practice another martial art, 4 dan at it for what it's worth. The same as judo, karate has obviously stopped being a budo or martial art and started to become a sport. The main difference is: in a sport you do everything allowed by the rules (sometimes even by pushing the said rules) to beat your opponent. In a martial art, you do everything in your power to improve yourself. If your art implies practicing with a partner, they are not opponents as such, but actually become a mirror of yourself, through them you can better evaluate yourself and your standing.

So yeah - in karate you are supposed to know how to protect yourself from a shinai (bamboo sword), but you are not supposed to get beaten and verbally abused to improve yourself. It's even more miserable the bullying happened in efforts to bring home medals.

She’s a karate champion. But She should have kicked him in the groin to stop him from bullying her.

Agree totally. She should have kicked him there repeatedly with the full force of a champion, using steel-capped boots. Teach this Kagawa scum a real lesson.

Suggestions here either involve physical retaliation (illegal) or cutting her losses because she's a woman. Y'all are a sad bunch.

Sure, really wise words, women should just cop a beating and report it to someone at a later date? I really hope if you have girls you would NEVER tell them that.

You do realize if someone is assaulted (not as part of training) as Uekusa claims, you have the right to defend/protect yourself from more harm?

Physical and mental bullying and assaults are NEVER acceptable.

My dojo has no protection gear.

It’s great until someone gets an eye injury or loses their teeth.

> Physical and mental bullying and assaults are NEVER acceptable.

Absolutely, but don't assume I think women shouldn't defend themselves against an attacker. I just worded my response poorly.

@ bag of hammers - I agree. I think I misunderstood you.

I just looked up this Kagawas profile. 65 years old. No doubt has always believed its acceptable to hit women. The JKF should fire him before he taints the Olympics, if it goes ahead.

Maybe girls shouldn't be doing martial arts if they're going to cry abuse for rigorous training.

Notice how none of the men are are crying "abuse"? This is hardcore bushido.

Maybe men are too scared and lack the courage to say they're being abused when they know they are.

Maybe Japanese men don't understand abuse and believe foreigners and women just don't understand this is the way things are in stoic Japan. I've heard that one before, and it's a belief of ignorance and stupidity.

Physical and mental bullying and assaults are NEVER acceptable.

You obviously never worked in a Japanese company.

It’s great until someone gets an eye injury or loses their teeth.

I get injuries every week. It’s my choice. Japan has two kinds of martial arts. Mine is fighting, karate is sport. She shouldn’t get abused for playing sport. A crime.

Maybe girls shouldn't be doing martial arts if they're going to cry abuse for rigorous training.

Dismissing female martial artists and pop artists, is there a hat trick about to occur?

Bullying and assault should always be called out.

Notice how none of the men are are crying "abuse"? This is hardcore bushido.

Men do speak out. Has the infamous OSU wrestling abuse scandal been forgotten?

Well, I would think twice about bullying a karate champion.

This is the rigid culture they have in sports,even at normal sportsday such thing happened when kids got beated by their teachers for not performing as expected.

I truly hope such cruel and archaic thinking will be over soon,but in order to do so they need to teach humanity in sports to the children of this country and put severe laws.

But knowing that Japan tends to change things very slowly I doubt that we will have such results within the next decade or more.

The answer to all the "Why didn't she just..." comments is that martial arts are a mafia in japan (and probably elsewhere). You don't show proper respect, you don't move up.

That's why they call it power harassment

I don’t get it. So she is not even capable of fighting back with some karate moves or strikes, to withstand this idiot and show olympic class? Normally a karateka like her could easily knock that guy out with only one correct move and then ram the attacker’s bamboo sword into his dumb face so he never gets up again before putrefaction.

Move on, nothing new.

It is part of the culture and expecting things will change because one or two ladies were brave

enough to come forward and make allegations is naivety. Bullying is not limited to schools

it is very rife in companies as well. There so many methods that can be used to make your

life miserable or drive you insane when you work in a typical Japanese company.

Working for a Japanese company is not for those with a faint heart regardless of whether you

are Japanese or foreigner.

The old joke proves true again.

What has an IQ of 200?

200 sports coaches.

I don’t get it. So she is not even capable of fighting back with some karate moves or strikes, to withstand this idiot and show olympic class? Normally a karateka like her could easily knock that guy out with only one correct move and then ram the attacker’s bamboo sword into his dumb face so he never gets up again before putrefaction.

Yes, and that would be the end of her career and she might go to prison for assault.

Sven AsaiToday 12:23 pm JST

I don’t get it. So she is not even capable of fighting back with some karate moves or strikes, to withstand this idiot and show olympic class?

Part of the problem is that it is instinctive for most people to "respect authority", an instinct that is reinforced during our school years right along with such things as toilet training. It's thus not as easy as suggested by one on the sidelines (and thus one not having recognized the "authority" as such) to actually "de-register" the authority figure and start fighting back.

There are so many thoughtless comments about this terrible situation, which shows a disgraceful lack of understanding and empathy. This person was a victim, and the bullying she sustained cannot be justified. It isn't a case of "rigorous training," it's straight-up bullying. Nor should she have to respond by trying to be equally violent back. Bullying is endemic and systemic in huge swathes of Japanese society from those in power, and it is carried out irrespective of a person's gender. It has to stop and be brought to book.

Yeah? Against karate?

Being buliied? You need to learn some kuh-RAH-tee!

Of course it would seem knowing karate would make one immune to being bullied, which might be the case if Japan wasn't a very hierarchal society in which one is raised to be beholden to those above you.

Sadly bullying permeates EVERYTHING in Japan, everything!

Of course it would seem knowing karate would make one immune to being bullied, which might be the case if Japan wasn't a very hierarchal society in which one is raised to be beholden to those above you.

Every society is hierarchical. Japan is traditionally hierarchical. Norway has a modern hierarchy. Both have certain people in charge and majorities are followers. The best societies have hierarchies based on merit. The alternative to hierarchies is chaos.

I hope that at some point in their lives people who are bullied will understand that they have choices. Sometimes the choices are bad and not so bad. It can be very tough for a young person who does not have a level headed adult who they can confide in about a bullying or harassment situation. There are different strategies for handling bullies from demands that it stop, confrontation, to seeking alternative authority figures to contacting law enforcement. I am glad that Uekusa found a way before it ended in tragedy.