Overview
- Koriyama’s education board said it will launch a third‑party investigation into a middle school case it now deems a suspected “serious situation,” after a student faced insults written in her notebook, altered images shared on class SNS, and months of non‑attendance.
- In Koriyama, the school and board initially closed their own inquiries without identifying perpetrators or treating the case as serious, and the shift to an external six‑member panel followed strong requests from the family with a start targeted in early April.
- A separate third‑party panel in Kainan, Wakayama, issued a report finding the city’s earlier refusal to recognize a serious case was an “inappropriate and erroneous” decision, recognizing specific acts as bullying and faulting delayed recognition for hindering fact‑finding.
- In Nagareyama, Chiba, reporting shows a 2024 fourth‑grader’s case escalated after the school failed to promptly notify the parent or fully interview the child, leading to non‑attendance and a transfer, with the city confirming an external investigation is underway.
- On March 15, Osaka police arrested a Wakayama prefectural police assistant inspector on suspicion of attempting to film under a middle school girl’s skirt at a shopping mall, with the suspect admitting the allegation and his department pledging a strict response.