I thought my next update about this case would be some months down the line, however even at this early date the case has been settled. The victim has agreed to an undisclosed financial settlement with the six men sh accused of rape.
The settlement seems to imply that the six Kyoto University of Education students were guilty as charged although the case will now never go to trial.
So what does this mean?
There is a very good chance that all six of these guys will be teachers within the next few years. It also sets a scary precedent when you think of how the situation unfolded.
A gang rape at a party. One graduate who is currently a teacher in an elementary school in Nara was a lookout for six student athletes who took advantage of a drunk female student. The university found out about what happened but never reported it to police, instead suspending the six students temporarily and temporarily avoiding any media coverage. By the time the story broke, the rape was months old. As far as I know, Kyoto University of Education received no penalty or reprimand for not reporting the case to police.
Once the case went public, people close to the case or people involved slandered the girl on social networking sites while the bulletin board dwellers went to her defense.
Now that the case has been settled, many of the people on the bulletin boards are crying foul for the girl having given up the case. Some people are accusing her of having had yen signs in her eyes from the beginning. Other people argue that this is clear evidence that all six were guilty, and if they really were telling the truth they would have gone to court to fight the charges. For the record, many people were unclear on the exact meaning of “settlement” or “jidan” in Japanese.
The bottom line is the case has been settled, and this clears their records. It seems to mean that they will graduate and probably be teaching children soon.
If any more news is leaked about the conditions of the settlement and what will become of the Kyoto University of Education rape case six, I will be sure to post an update.