Japanese Principal Who Sexually Assaulted Female Middle School Student
Camcorder Also Contains Nude Videos of Other Students
A Japanese middle school principal who was sentenced to nine years in prison for sexually assaulting a teenage female student has sparked outrage locally by stating that he "could not suppress his desires because he liked her."
According to the Japanese media outlet Friday Digital, Kitamura Hisayoshi (57), principal of Mihara-dai Middle School in Nerima Ward, Tokyo, was sentenced to nine years in prison on the 9th for sexually assaulting and injuring a 14-year-old female student. Kitamura was previously arrested last year for possessing a camcorder containing nude videos of a female student, violating the Child Prostitution and Child Pornography Prohibition Act (possession).
A Japanese middle school principal who sexually assaulted a teenage female student. Japanese media outlet 'Friday Digital'
When the police searched Kitamura's workplace and home at that time, they found the camcorder inside the principal's desk. The camcorder contained several obscene videos, including footage of him sexually assaulting female students. Regarding this, Kitamura stated, "The videos were taken of students from the middle school where I previously worked," and "I saved them thinking I might need to watch them again." The female student had asked him to "delete the videos," but Kitamura agreed and then did not delete them.
The police also discovered that Kitamura had sexually assaulted a 14-year-old female student while working as a teacher at another middle school and re-arrested him on charges of quasi-rape. Kitamura lured the student by saying he would give her a massage and used his position as a teacher to commit the sexual crime. The victim said, "I was afraid to report it because they said if everyone found out, I wouldn't be allowed to attend school." She also said, "There were many days I cried and went home feeling distressed, wondering why only I had to go through this," and "I lost interest in dating and marriage and have to live with memories that can never be erased."
Kitamura denied the charges of quasi-rape and negligent homicide during the trial. He claimed, "I liked the female student and could not suppress my desires," and "I thought we were dating at the time, and I believed the student accepted me." The prosecution pointed out that this was "a despicable crime exploiting the hierarchical relationship between teacher and student."
Local netizens who learned of the case have raised their voices in criticism of Kitamura. Comments included, "The victim was not an adult but a middle school student, so she could not handle it herself and must have suffered psychological pain," "The victim has to live with trauma for life, but the perpetrator only received a nine-year sentence; Japan's punishment is too light," "The emotional wounds suffered by the victim and her family are immeasurable," and "Sexual crimes committed by educators against students should be punished more severely."
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