Student assault videos expose new face of bullying in Japan

A series of viral videos showing students assaulting their peers has triggered police investigations, school interventions and a surge of online abuse, highlighting the growing risks of violence amplified by social media in Japan.

In January, a widely shared video showed a male student at a prefectural high school in Tochigi Prefecture, north of Tokyo, punching another student. The footage, which quickly circulated online, led prosecutors in Utsunomiya to refer the student to family court on suspicion of causing bodily injury.

Around the same time, similar videos from the south-western Japan city of Oita, depicting students attacking one another, also spread widely. The city’s board of education later classified the case as a “serious incident” of bullying.

The Tochigi case drew particular attention after a video posted on Jan 4 showed a student surrounded by several others in a school restroom, where he was repeatedly punched and kicked by one of them. The clip, filmed in December at the school, was viewed more than 100 million times in a short period.

According to the prefectural board of education, teachers were unaware of the incident at the time it happened. As the video spread, the board and the school received more than 1,500 complaints and inquiries.

Social media platforms were soon flooded with posts attempting to identify those involved, along with abusive and threatening comments. Some of these posts raised safety concerns for students, prompting certain school clubs to withdraw from scheduled competitions.

The police took action after becoming aware of the footage and questioning those involved, referring the student to prosecutors on Feb 5 on suspicion of causing bodily injury. The case was subsequently sent to family court on March 2.

A police official said that even when minors are involved, acts of violence constitute crimes, adding that the authorities acted quickly to prevent further harm, including online slander.

In the case of Oita, three separate videos showing violence among junior high school students were identified and all designated as serious bullying incidents under the Act for the Promotion of Measures to Prevent Bullying.

In Osaka, another video circulated widely showing an elementary school boy being pushed into the sea while playing near a waterfront area with other elementary and junior high school students.

The succession of incidents eventually prompted a response at the national level. On March 3, the education ministry released video materials aimed at bullying prevention and information ethics education. Education boards across the country have been notified and encouraged to use the materials in schools.

Experts say the rapid spread of these videos reflects broader changes in how bullying occurs and is exposed.

Ms Mieko Miyata, the head of a non-profit research institute specialising in children’s safety, pointed to the widespread use of smartphones and social media as a key factor.

“Students can now easily film and share such incidents,” Ms Miyata said. “The closed environments in which bullying once took place are no longer the norm.”

Attorney Mami Takeyama said that online posts targeting individuals in such videos are highly likely to constitute crimes or human rights violations in their own right.

“Once footage is shared, it cannot be fully erased, creating long-term risks for both victims and perpetrators,” she said. KYODO NEWS