[Content Warning: Discussions of Suicide, Bullying, Child Sexual Assault, and Death]
A junior high school in Hokkaido prefecture is currently under fire for its role in the death of a 14-year-old former student back in March, 2021. The incident has since sparked debates and criticism online over the role of schools in both preventing and punishing bullying.
Bunshun Online broke the story on April 15, 2021, and has included a lengthy interview with the victim’s mother, the classmates who participated in the bullying, as well as the principal of the school in which it occurred. Details show that the school did not properly handle the situation, from refusing to acknowledge the existence of bullying, to not allowing the victim to bring a lawyer to discussions.
Her Last Words Were “Stay Safe”
Hirose Saaya was a 14-year-old girl who loved to draw, and went to a local school in Asahikawa, Hokkaido. She had been the target of bullying at her local junior high school. After a severe incident in 2019 where she was bullied into masturbating in front of a group of classmates, she was diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD). Afterwards she moved schools, but continued to struggle with symptoms as well as suicidal feelings.
On February 13, 2021, her mother had to leave the house for an hour, and asked if Saaya would like to eat out. She replied that she didn’t want to go, but instead asked her to “buy some bento,” telling her goodbye and to “stay safe.”
Those were Saaya’s last words to her mother. An hour later, Saaya’s mother would get a phone call from police: Saaya had sent suicidal messages to her friends via Discord (an internet messaging app), and they needed to perform a wellness check. By the time she came back, Saaya had already disappeared from the house.
A month later on March 23, after countless police searches, Saaya’s body was found in a local park. Coroners identified the cause of death as hypothermia; temperatures had been -17℃ (apprx. 6°F) the night she disappeared. Snowfall had made it difficult to find the body until it began to melt.
Pleading Fell on Deaf Ears
The bullying started when Saaya was 12-years-old, shortly after she entered junior high school. She had started interacting with local kids from a different junior high school, some 2 years older than her. Her mother recounts that, around this time, her attitude had begun to change, and she even expressed some suicidal feelings.
Later investigations found that one of the male students Saaya had interacted with was asking her for nude photographs and videos of her masturbating. And after being threatened with violence via LINE messages, she had relented. The male student then shared the images through a LINE chat shared with other students. Worse yet, one of the female students in the friend group had acted as her “friend,” while also asking to see the images behind her back.
After realizing her daughter’s change in attitude, Saaya’s mother had contacted the school four times over the course of three months. Yet, her teacher had brushed off any concerns of bullying, stating that “those kids are too stupid to bully.” At one point, the teacher had even asked if the discussion could wait until the next day, because she “had a date with her boyfriend.”
Police Involved After River Incident
One day, Saaya was surrounded by a group of school children and, unable to escape or call for help, was coerced again into doing sexually explicit actions. She called her school and pleaded for help. Things escalated, and after being told that the students would spread the images to the whole school if she didn’t kill herself, Saaya jumped into the Ut-pet river.
The police arrived on the scene, and Saaya was rescued by a few male teachers that had come to intervene. After that incident, her mother says, the police department became involved. However, only one male student was charged with the distribution of child pornography.
Because the student was under the age of 14, they were unable to prosecute to the full extent. The perpetrators were let off with stern warnings and virtually no punishment. Even after the images were deleted by police, one of the students then used backed up data from their computer to retrieve the images again, which the perpetrators continued to spread after the incident.
In interviews with Bunshun Online, some parents of the perpetrators flat-out denied any wrongdoing and, in some cases, pointed to Saaya’s home life as the source of the issue. The female student that acted as Saaya’s friend stated that she “honestly did not think anything about the news of [Saaya’s] death.” Others stated that, while they felt remorse for what happened, could not verify if what happened had truly occurred as statements were inconsistent.
School Continues to Deny Bullying Allegations
During an interview with Shukan Bunshun Online, the principal of the school denied allegations that there had been bullying at all, and stated that they had taken proper measures after the initial river incident. The school continues to deny any wrongdoing in the matter, and has stated that “because the incident happened off of school grounds, it cannot take responsibility.”
After the incident, Saaya was also diagnosed with PTSD. It was because of this that her mother decided to have a lawyer involved. However, the school then refused to allow the lawyer into discussion meetings or allow any recordings, stating that “the perpetrators have futures too.” In one of the apology meetings, some of the perpetrators even retorted that they were “only watching,” and did not participate in the bullying.
The school has also gone so far as to deny the mother’s requests to release records of interviews with the students involved. In the same interview, the principal said, “I believe Saaya had suicidal feelings prior to the incident” and “the act of running away itself was an act of self-harm.” He reiterated that they “acted accordingly,” yet did not cite any specific actions that were taken.
Internet Response
People were quick to condemn both the school and the students involved in the bullying. Many criticized the contradictions in the principal’s interview. One person pointed out that it did not make sense if the school had disciplined students, yet did not acknowledge any bullying had occurred; disciplining requires a proper reason, and in this case, it was bullying.
Others expressed frustration over the lack of accountability in the case, and how there were no repercussions for any of the offending parties. As in the case of many bullying cases in Japan, the people involved tend to shift blame in any way they can. In the tweet below, @hoshinojikan outlines exactly how little accountability there was both during and after the bullying had occurred.
The sexual abuse case from Asahikawa… its too gruesome, and reading the article is painful. The way her teacher acted as if it had nothing to do with her, the fact that not a single person from the school came to her funeral, the fact that school members refused to be in the same room as the family’s lawyer, and the perpetrator student’s complete lack of remorse… Not a single person is being punished.
Translation of @hoshinojikan‘s Tweet
Another point, made by Sex Ed YouTuber @shiori_mw, focused on the lack of care given towards the victim after the sexual assault. Particularly from the standpoint of caregivers, they state, the adults should have been the ones to step up and provide support for Saaya after the incident.
Once it was found out that there had been sexual assault, the adults should have defended and provided care for the victim. They should have told the perpetrators that they had “done something unforgivable.” Instead they only cared about defending THEMSELVES. Adults need to learn that there are human rights that need to be protected.
Translation of @shiori_mw‘s tweet
A Death That Could Have Been Prevented
Saaya’s death was a result of the failings of multiple adults and guardians, from a lack of bullying prevention to providing therapy post-assault. Her teachers failed her when they refused to look into her mother’s concerns about bullying. The parents of the bullies failed her through defending their children’s actions, and implying that Saaya’s own mother was the source of strife.
Most of all, her school failed her when they refused to acknowledge that the bullying had taken place, even after she had been diagnosed with PTSD. They failed her when they didn’t take responsibility, and did not punish the students involved. And they failed her when they did not provide her with proper support, through therapy or otherwise. Instead, they sought to defend themselves by pushing the responsibility on other parties.
While the principal has said that “the perpetrators have futures,” so too did Hirose Saaya have a future. She was 14 years old, with her entire life ahead of her. She was a gifted artist, and her mother says that she also had aspirations of becoming a public prosecutor.
She was the victim of a horrible crime, and should have been protected. And unless people in positions of authority realize that they should be protecting the victims instead of perpetrators, children like Saaya will continue to be ignored until the avoidable occurs again.
If you or a loved one is in need of help, there are resources available. If you live in Japan, you can call 119 in the case of emergencies. Free counseling is also available at the TELL Lifeline: 03-5774-0992. You can also visit telljp.com for more information.
