FUKUOKA (TR) – The Fukuoka District Court on Wednesday ordered the municipal government of Fukuoka City to pay roughly 550,000 yen in damages to the bereaved family of a middle school boy who committed suicide after his homeroom teacher called him an “octopus” in front of his classmates, reports the Asahi Shimbun (May 27).
Presiding judge Kentaro Noto ruled that the teacher’s remarks were insulting, inappropriate and deviated from the bounds of acceptable educational guidance.
The incident occurred in August 2018 when the boy was a first-year student at a middle school in Fukuoka City. During a homeroom activity, the boy stapled some documents facing the wrong direction. In response, his homeroom teacher berated him in front of the class. “It’s backward, you tako,” he said in using the word for octopus which is a slang term used to call someone a fool.
Following the teacher’s outburst, classmates began teasing the boy, repeatedly calling him “octopus.” He became a victim of bullying and stopped attending school by October of that year. He later sought psychiatric help and was diagnosed with social anxiety disorder.
“Provoked bullying”
Tragically, the boy took his own life in October 2020, during his third year of middle school.
The bereaved family filed a lawsuit demanding 33 million yen in compensation from the city. They argued that the teacher’s abusive language directly triggered the bullying and that the school’s failure to prevent the abuse and provide adequate support for the boy’s return to class ultimately led to his suicide.
In delivering the verdict, Judge Noto acknowledged that the teacher’s public insult was delivered in a manner that “provoked bullying.”
However, the court dismissed a direct causal link between the teacher’s remark and the suicide, noting that more than two years had passed between the incident and the boy’s death. Furthermore, the judge ruled that the school’s subsequent handling of the situation was not illegal, citing a lack of evidence of ongoing bullying and noting that the school had provided continuous support, such as offering the boy a separate room for study.
Outrage over the verdict
The Fukuoka City Board of Education issued a brief statement saying it is examining the ruling and will consult with legal counsel to determine its next steps.
The boy’s family expressed outrage over the verdict.
“I honestly cannot accept the court’s decision,” the family said in a statement released through their lawyer. “For the sake of our son, and to ensure that no other student or family has to go through such a painful experience, we intend to fight this as far as possible.”
