A third party from the city was re-investigating the cause-and-effect relationship between bullying and suicide in November 2020 when a 12-year-old girl in the 6th grade of elementary school in Machida City, Tokyo, committed suicide after leaving a suicide note complaining of bullying. On the 21st, the committee found that multiple incidents of bullying had occurred, and submitted a report to Mayor Joichi Ishizaka stating that the causes of the suicide were complex.
Chairman Hiroshi Aikawa hands over the report to Mayor Joichi Ishizaka (left)
◆Other reasons: “I want to avoid it”
The report identifies multiple acts as bullying under the law, such as other children writing bad things about the girl in a chat on a tablet provided by the school, and the girl telling the girl to end their friendship as a prank. While pointing out that he was “exposed to stress from interpersonal relationships,” he added, “We cannot pinpoint that this was the only cause of his suicide.” At the press conference, committee chairman Hiroshi Aikawa, a lawyer, did not reveal that he would like to refrain from discussing other causes.
The family issued a comment saying, “The investigation is insufficient and incomplete, and there are problems with the fact-finding that demeans us.”
In October 2021, a third-party committee of the city’s Board of Education compiled a report regarding this issue, stating that it would be “difficult to continue the investigation,” citing the failure to hear from the bereaved family. For this reason, a third-party committee under the direct control of the mayor was established in November 2021 to conduct a re-investigation. (Takayasu Miyamoto)
2024-02-21 11:43:09
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