Nobunari Oda, a figure who lost a lawsuit against his former coach, is concerned that only the stigma of defamation will remain and “the value of his talent will decline.

On March 2, the Osaka District Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by Nobunari Oda, former coach of Kansai University’s ice skating team and TV personality, seeking 11 million yen in damages for “moral harassment” by Mie Hamada, the team’s former coach. On the other hand, Ms. Hamada counterclaimed because of Oda’s claims in her blog and other media, but the court ordered Oda to pay 2.2 million yen in damages.

On September 29, ’19, Oda posted a content titled “Resignation of Director of Kansai University Ice Skating Club” on his blog. The reason for his resignation as director was.

“I am too busy to take enough time as a coach.

The real reason for his resignation is that he is too busy to work as a coach.

The real reason for my resignation is that I was harassed and harassed in the rink, and due to the effects of this, I started to get sick around this spring, and I was unable to go to the rink for three months until I resigned.

What exactly was the kind of moral harassment that Oda claims?

Oda himself had not shown much of his face at the rink since he became the director, because he had to practice very hard, including performing in shows,” he said. In fact, it was Coach Hamada who was in charge of coaching. After a while, however, Mr. Oda expressed concern over the fact that the students were neglecting their studies, and he tried to establish standards for grades.

Coach Hamada was furious about this. Mr. Oda became so exhausted that he resigned because he was being ignored by Mr. Hamada.

Oda, who has an image of being tearful and emotional outside the rink, was shocked to think that he was at odds with his coach in his coaching career as well.

The court had recommended a settlement, but both sides “refused” to compromise, and the case ended up in a muddy courtroom battle.

Oda said in response to the court’s decision

I regret that the harassment was not recognized. I have my doubts about the fact that defamation was admitted. I will consider how to respond to the situation after carefully examining the verdict.

Oda commented that he was not satisfied with the decision.

The court ruled that there was “no objective evidence of moral harassment,” and that even if the coach had been criticized by the director, it would be “socially acceptable. In other words, Oda lacked conclusive evidence such as recordings and testimonies of the harassment that he claimed.

Oda may have lost much more than just the 2.2 million yen in damages for defamation. Mr. Oda is always smiling and has a cheerful character, and he frequently appears on TV programs in the Kansai region.

On location, Mr. Oda has a friendly image that is loved by the people of the town, but behind the scenes, he was involved in a court battle, and in the end, his image was tarnished to some extent by the counter claim that he was the “perpetrator of the defamation”. It would have been better for his future image as a celebrity if he had settled out of court without seeking compensation.

The glittering world on the ice was hidden behind the doldrums of the real world of adult life. For Oda, it was a “bee on the tear” situation….