In a previous post I wrote about six Kyoto University of Education students who raped a girl at a party in February. The university never reported the incident to police until June. There were some pretty outrageous moral violations by the school, such things as refusing to report the incident to authorities, and the fact that the perpetrators were not even expelled from the school.
In an explanation meeting held on Wednesday, June 3rd, 2009, Kyoto University of Education president Mitsuyo Terada spoke in front a nearly full, four hundred fifty person classroom, and addressed students directly.
During the meeting, Terada explained why the six perpetrators were never expelled from the school despite having gang raped another student by explaining that the university itself is an educational university, and it is their responsibility to help rehabilitate the perpetrators and help them become productive members of society.
Here is an article (in Yahoo News in Japanese) describing Kyoto University of Education’s meeting with students.
Since, I feel its therapeutic for me to comment on the stories, please indulge me in a little sarcasm…
…I believe what this educator and university president has thought of is quite revolutionary. He has decided to open his school up and offer it as an alternative to prison. If he feels there is a place in a well-regarded education university for six violent rapists, I’m sure he would be honored to accept a Yakuza member whose only crime is shooting a few rivals. The Yakuza member would probably never think to do harm to other members of the university community, unlike the six criminals he has offered golden tickets to. If his school’s responsibility to society is to rehabilitate felons, I’m sure he would be happy to play host to any illegal immigrants in Japan who have been discovered after countless years of living a law abiding life in Japan. Maybe the next generation of teachers in Japan will all have a “story to tell”. I also expect these future ex-killers and rapist-turned-teachers to cast a very forgiving eye on students who’ve forgotten to do their homework.
Stable leader Junichi Yamamoto (formerly Tokitsukaze) who ordered members of his Sumo gym to beat and abuse a sixteen year old junior Sumo wrestler (including breaking beer bottles over his head and hitting him with an aluminum baseball bat) resulting in his death, could be a future valedictorian.
Thank you for indulging me in a little sarcasm there, but I am surprised the Japanese authorities are not coming down on Kyoto University of Education for trying to handle this crime off-record and for even now making a mockery of any laws designed to protect victims of sexual assault.