Report alleges physical, sexual abuse faced by 800 Japanese child athletes
- The Human Rights Watch report interviewed former athletes who said they experienced corporal punishment, known as taibatsu, at the hands of coaches
- Japan has child abuse laws but the problem still persists, says the group, which is calling for tougher and new measures to protect children in sport
A human rights group has released a scathing report on the violence, verbal and sexual abuse experienced by young athletes in Japanese schools and sports clubs, some of which have led to children becoming permanently injured, dying or taking their own lives.
The report issued by Human Rights Watch, titled “I was hit so many times I can’t count: Abuse of child athletes in Japan”, calls on the nation’s sporting authorities to intervene to prevent future tragedies.
More than 800 former child athletes, including a number vying for spots on Japan’s Olympic and Paralympic teams, were interviewed for the 67-page survey, which looked at 50 sports and covered 45 of the nation’s 47 prefectures.
I am tired of being beaten. I am tired of crying. That’s why I don’t want to be in this world any more
The authors cited numerous cases of corporal punishment – known as taibatsu – by coaches in schools and sporting federations.
Male and female athletes reported being punched in the face, kicked, beaten with baseball bats or kendo sticks, being deprived of water, choked, whipped and being sexually abused or harassed.
“I am tired of being beaten. I am tired of crying. That’s why I don’t want to be in this world any more,” wrote a 17-year-old female javelin thrower in the suicide note she left in the early 1980s, according to the report.
A basketball player said one of his high school coaches punched a player so hard that he broke his nose. “At practice games, I saw a coach punch a player, drag students around, throw hot coffee in players’ faces,” he said. “This kind of intimidating coaching style happens so often in any high school.”