Last year, a junior high school girl was found dead in a park in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, and bullying was recognized as a problem. We held a meeting and were advised to re-examine the relationship between the death of a junior high school student and bullying.
Last March, Sosai Hirose (then 14), a second-year junior high school student in Asahikawa, was found dead in a snow-covered park in the city. The third-party committee of the Board of Education is dissatisfied with the contents of the final report released in September and is requesting a reinvestigation.
In response to this, on the night of the 22nd, a third-party committee newly established by Asahikawa City held its first meeting in Tokyo, and firstly, offered a silent prayer to Mr. Sosai.
Asahikawa Mayor Kansuke Imazu asked the third-party committee about the facts of the bullying, the relationship between the death of Sosai and the bullying, the response of the school and the board of education, and measures to prevent recurrence. I have asked to re-verify.
At a private meeting after that, they discussed how to proceed with the investigation, such as hearing opinions again in order to build a relationship of trust with the bereaved family.
Education critic Naoki Ogi, also known as Mama Ogi, who was appointed as the chairman of the third-party committee, said at a press conference after the meeting, "I would like to proceed with a fair and neutral investigation while firmly standing by the sorrows and hardships of the bereaved families. I would like to hold meetings multiple times a month and compile a high-quality report that everyone can be satisfied with as soon as possible."