Police in Maibara, Shiga Prefecture, have arrested a 46-year-old teacher on suspicion of assault after he allegedly punched a 10-year-old student in the face during class.
According to police and the Maibara City Board of Education, the incident occurred during a music class at around 2 p.m. on Sept 2. NHK reported that the boy was a fourth-grade pupil in a special needs class, and that the suspect, Mutsuhiro Ito, was his homeroom teacher.
Police said Ito told them, "I became irritated because the boy wouldn't respond when I asked him a question.”
The boy suffered a bruised eyeball. His parents filed a complaint with police and the school after he returned home.
The boy’s father said his son has a chronic illness and requires medical attention, so he is in the special needs class. He said: "When I got home and saw my son's face, the area around his right eye was swollen and bruised, and the white part of his eye was red from bleeding. He cried and told me that the teacher hit him. I couldn't believe it. It is absolutely unforgivable for an adult, let alone a teacher, to hit a child with a disability."
Since the incident, Ito has been working outside of school on tasks that do not involve children. The board released a statement saying,"It is truly unfortunate and regrettable that a teaching staff member has been arrested. We would like to offer our sincere apologies to the victimized child and his parents."
© Japan Today
10 Comments
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Gazman
‘Unfortunate’ that he’s been arrested. No comment about the crime committed, just ‘unfortunate’ that he’s been caught.
stormcrow
The teachers in the school near my house often go off half-cocked and grab kids. Now, some of those kids are like little gangsters, so there need to be new rules to discipline them.
Increase the salaries of teachers. Hire better and more qualified people to teach, not these people who mistake teaching with being be salary workers. And create new rules to deal with the unruly little gangsters in the class.
YeahRight
Why does this guy still have a job at all?
Hercolobus
What a monster. My first teacher pulled my ears in my first day of class. I was only 5. But after that day I never entered her classroom. I went to school and would hide behind the classroom where there was a wilderness and nobody could see me. I would come out during recesss and time to go home. Did this from August to December until school officials came to my house to ask why I was not attending school. Then I was changed with my aunt who was a teacher.
garypen
"Since the incident, Ito has been working outside of school on tasks that do not involve children. "
WTAF? Why was he not immediately fired?
Garthgoyle
I'd accept their apology only after a) a hefty monetary compensation and him getting fired, not allowed to teach again. Or b) arrested, sent to jail for some time (months) and not allowed to teach again. Or c) a & b.
But I'm sure non will happen.
Zaphod
I hope he is fired immediately. It is irrelevant how obnoxious the boy was. Punching an elementary school student in the face is not acceptable under any circumstance.
Forevermore
The blind leading the blind. It's all fun and games until someone loses an eye.
Jennie
In the FACE??
tigerjane
My child from grade 2 was bullied by students, teachers and principal and in grade 4 I took the principal before the school board for a number of issues, and they did NOTHING. The following year, a Japanese boy in the same class was being bullied and his mother went to the school board and finally the principal was shuffled off to another school, no not fired, just shuffled away. Pathetic.