The son who died was not "corporal punishment" December 7 20:05

“Good morning”

my parents say to the Buddhist altar every morning.

His son was the captain of the Osaka Municipal Sakuranomiya High School basketball team.

Ten years ago, he was driven to suicide after being subjected to repeated corporal punishment by his then-advisor.

Corporal punishment still remains in the field of sports instruction.

his parents said.

“When a boss hits a subordinate in a company, it is an assault case, so why is it called corporal punishment in schools?”

Eradication of violence in the name of guidance.

I would like to reach out to everyone involved in sports.

(Osaka Broadcasting Station Reporter Suzukako)

10 years after the incident, corporal punishment is still

December 2012.

A 17-year-old male student who was the captain of the Osaka Municipal Sakuranomiya High School basketball team committed suicide.

He was repeatedly subjected to corporal punishment by the teacher who was his adviser at the time.

The former counselor was convicted of assault and other charges.

Before the 10th anniversary of the incident, the Japan Basketball Association conducted a survey on corporal punishment.

In a survey of elementary school teams, 10% of parents answered that there was violence in their coaching.

After the incident, the association continued efforts to eradicate corporal punishment, but corporal punishment remained deeply rooted.

The association's experts were also shocked by the findings, calling them "extremely shocking."

We reported the results of this survey in October this year.

I wonder how the deceased captain's bereaved family feels.

When I applied for an interview through a lawyer, my parents agreed to listen to me.

Questions about the word “corporal punishment”

What my parents said was a question about the word “corporal punishment” itself.

Father

: “I feel like you are defending the person who is teaching. After becoming a member of society, for example, if a boss hits a subordinate, it is called an ‘assault incident’, but in an educational setting, it is ‘corporal punishment’. The instructors are evading the word 'corporal punishment.' I think it's accepted."

It is said that the word “corporal punishment” sounds like the students are at fault.

But the violence his son suffered from his former adviser was something entirely different.

For example, when the team wasn't able to play as expected in a practice match.

As the captain of the club, I was repeatedly slapped over and over again.

I feel uncomfortable that such violence is called "corporal punishment".

Basketball should have been fun

The deceased son belongs to the basketball club in junior high school.

At that time, I enjoyed playing basketball.

However, after entering the powerhouse Sakuranomiya High School, it is said that his expression became darker.

“I don’t want to play basketball in college,” he said.

Especially since I became captain, I was annoyed by the abusive language and violence of my former advisor, and I often consulted with my family.

Mother

: After I became captain, all I thought was, 'I wonder if I'll finish high school soon.' That's all. I thought that people would say that I couldn't do it, so I wanted to give advice behind the scenes on what children can do."

But December 23, 2012.

His son died in his room at home.

Father

: “I saw my son working hard, so I tried to support him so that he could do his best. At that time, I think I should have interfered more (instruction methods, etc.).”

"Do you think it will be resolved after a while?"

When my son was alive, he wrote a letter to his former adviser, but he was unable to deliver it.

The letter said:

“I want to do what my teacher tells me to do. I try to think about it. No. I'm trying to do it.I'm thinking about how I should handle the event in my own way.The teacher tells me that he doesn't have anything in mind, but I I'm thinking."

(excerpt from original mom)

I'm trying to convey that I was doing my best as a captain even though it was painful.

After that, he continued his doubts and resentment about the violence.

“Why am I the only one who has to be swayed like that? Do you think that if you stop the captain

,

you will be able to do something about it? Did I cause a problem?

Excerpt original text mama)

This cry later led to efforts to end violence in sports.

This time, the mother who read the letter again says:

Mother

: “At that time, I didn’t have any time to spare, but when I read it again 10 years later, I was like, ‘This kid is amazing.’ It wasn’t my child. A 17-year-old at the time complained that everyone in the world would understand.

Even now, my parents continue to call out to their son at the Buddhist altar every day.

"Good morning"

"I 'm leaving" "I

'm home" "It

's dinner time"

"I'm going to bed"

Mother

: “I have not forgotten my son in my daily life, and he has always been my family. We talk to each other every time we have a break, and sometimes we talk about memories and laugh.

I believed that it would act as a deterrent

Just before this interview.

Serious violence was again revealed at club activity sites.

In a high school softball club in Himeji City, Hyogo Prefecture, a female student was hit on the cheek by a teacher who was an adviser, causing her jaw to come off.

The student was unable to attend school due to the emotional shock and moved to another high school.

Father

: “The reason we worked hard in the trial was because we believed that creating a case of ``this kind of penalty will be received for this kind of case'' would be a deterrent. I'm very sorry. I wonder how the girls and parents of Himeji feel."

To parents who tolerate violence

Some data show how difficult it is to end violence.

A survey conducted by the Japan Basketball Association on elementary school teams revealed the existence of parents who tolerate violence.

90% of the parents who answered that there was violence in the team said that their children were growing even in such an environment.

Parents are appealing to these guardians, "I want you to recognize that violence is done by people without leadership."

I also question the way famous athletes talk about the violence they endured during their school days as if it were a fairy tale or a funny old tale.

Father

: “Those who were violent when they were a student and luckily didn’t die should not turn it into a good story later on. I think it creates a negative chain.”

Let children enjoy sports

For children to enjoy playing sports.

I appeal to you to think about how club activities should be.

Father

: “While the teachers at school are busy, I have to take on the role of adviser for extracurricular activities. It is difficult for the teachers to patiently guide them, and it is easier to create a master-servant relationship and use violence. I think that there are some schools that follow the principle of winning first and that the advisors have absolute power.The national competition that stimulates the desire to compete I think you're doing too much."

Mother

: “Since my son will never come back, it would be ideal for him to be able to enjoy playing sports more so that there will be no similar victims in the future. Even though I made some mistakes, I enjoyed doing my best.”

listen to the cries of 17 year olds

Is a little bit of violence unavoidable in order to grow?

Violence leaves lasting scars not only on the body but also on the mind.

If there is a time when you are about to resort to violence.

If there are times when it seems to be acceptable.

Remember the scream of the high school student who took his life 10 years ago.

Reporter for Osaka Broadcasting Station

Ryoko Suzu

Joined in 2020

After being in charge of police , in charge of the military