Video of Student Assault Triggers Probes in Japan’s Tochigi

Utsunomiya, Tochigi Pref., Jan. 9 (Jiji Press)–A video showing a student assaulting another student at a high school in Tochigi Prefecture has spread on social media, prompting probes by a board of education and police in the eastern Japan prefecture. “We take it very seriously,” Chihiro Nakamura, head of the prefectural board of education, told a press conference Thursday. “We apologize to the affected students and related people. We will make efforts to prevent a recurrence to ensure that schools are safe places.” On the same day, the Oita prefectural police in southwestern Japan received reports that a video showing bullying at a junior high school in the prefecture’s capital of Oita had been posted on X, formerly Twitter. The police are working with the city’s board of education to confirm the details. According to the Tochigi prefectural board of education and other sources, the video was recorded at the prefectural high school Dec. 19, 2025. The nine-second clip shows a male student assaulting another student in a restroom, hitting him in the face and kicking him in the back of the head. The video was primarily spread on X. The Tochigi police have questioned students related to the incident on suspicion of assault. The student who committed the assault expressed remorse, saying, “I’m really sorry,” according to sources. The Tochigi board of education interviewed students after becoming aware of the video’s circulation Sunday night. It plans to hold explanatory meetings for parents and consider measures to prevent the spread of such videos. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]