Overview
- The Fukuoka District Court ordered one senior student to pay 1.65 million yen in damages to the bereaved family.
- Three other seniors had already resolved their liability through settlements or confirmed payment orders in related proceedings.
- The parents separately filed a new lawsuit against the former kendo advisor and Tokai University’s school corporation, alleging failures to report abuse and to meet safety obligations.
- Presiding Judge Satoshi Kato found the conduct gravely violated the student’s dignity and sexual privacy, rejecting the defense that it was mere horseplay.
- The student left a note about bullying and died by suicide in 2021 after abuse alleged from 2019, and the university said it had not received information and declined further comment.