KUMAMOTO (TR) – A third-year high school girl who committed suicide earlier this month hinted at being bullied, it was learned over the weekend, reports the Sankei Shimbun (May 28).
According to the parents of the girl, 17, a note in her writing indicated that her classmates urged her to take her life. “I talked to the teacher but that was of no use,” she wrote. “Because [my classmates] told me to die I will die.”
On May 17, the girl left school, located in the northern part of the prefecture, early after saying she did not feel well. Her grandmother later found her hanged in their residence. After being rushed to a hospital, she died early the following morning.
The school is investigating the matter. On May 25, the principal of the school held a meeting with students, some of whom have been interviewed. Two days later, a person connected to the school said, “There is no sign of bullying or trouble at the present time.”
According to the Mainichi Shimbun (May 28), the girl’s parents said that she had garnered a collection of male admirers on the photograph sharing app Instagram, which might have caused her some concern.
On Monday, the Kumamoto Prefectural Board of Education said that it would launch a third-party inquiry into whether the girl was bullied.
“The school only repeats [that the matter] is ‘under investigation,’ and we cannot offer our consent to this,” the parents said.
