Japanese school suspends teacher for slapping student over failure to bring softball jersey
- Teacher allegedly hit the 16-year-old’s face, leaving her with a dislocated jaw, and continued to subject her to hardline treatment
- Principal apologises for the incident, as school pledges to investigate whether teacher was involved in other instances of professional misconduct
A Japanese secondary school has suspended a teacher after he slapped a student, leaving her with a dislocated jaw.
The teacher, 41, at Himeji International School in the western prefecture of Hyogo, allegedly hit the 16-year-old’s face in anger over her failure to bring her softball jersey.
The student, who had difficulty opening her mouth since the September 24 assault, was suffering from traumatic trismus – a condition of limited jaw mobility – which will take a month to heal.
Principal Masahiko Suruga apologised for the incident, saying “this must never happen”.
“We’d like to address the student’s psychological care and measures to prevent a recurrence,” Suruga was quoted as saying by the Mainichi newspaper on Monday.
Suruga added the teacher, who also serves as an adviser to the school’s softball club, would appear before a disciplinary committee.
The institution said the teacher became enraged after the girl’s mother told him her daughter had forgotten her jersey for a regional softball tournament.