Parents of bullied high school boy file criminal charges in Miyagi

JAPAN — The parents of a 16-year-old boy in Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, have filed charges against classmates who bullied him at school.

The case follows the high profile suicide of a bullied junior high school student from Otsu in Shiga Prefecture which hit headlines nationwide.

Fuji TV reported Tuesday that since last November, the boy was punched and had his arm burned with cigarettes over 20 times. In July, the bullying had become so severe that the boy could no longer attend school.

The boy’s parents told reporters that the school felt the boy’s burns were disturbing other students and subsequently asked him to leave the school, Fuji reported. The school has so far refused to comment to media.

Following his expulsion, the boy’s parents said they decided to take action to force his assailants to confess to bullying him.

In the Japanese media, the filing of criminal charges is being taken as a sign that students are becoming more likely to speak out against their tormentors now that bullying has become a national talking point.

Police say an investigation into the nature of the alleged bullying is now underway.

Japan Today