Parents of Students Victimized by Teachers’ Sexual Misconduct Share Their Anger and Regret

In the first part of the article, “[Rubbing genitals against pupil…] Junior High School Teacher Arrested for Indecency Reveals ‘Selfish Motive’ at Trial,” The article addresses the heinous acts committed by Mikichi Tonozaki (44), who was arrested and indicted on charges of lewd acts and illegal photography involving his students. The families of the victimized students are expressing intense outrage towards Tonozaki.

“My son started showing unusual behavior midway through his first year of high school. He became unable to go to school, saying he was scared of people. At that time, we didn’t know the reason, so we kept telling him to go to school. Eventually, his condition worsened, and he became a recluse, unable to leave the house. We tried asking him what had happened, and he began to talk about how he had been subjected to terrible things by a teacher in middle school and how going to school brought back painful memories.”

 

This is said by the mother of D-kun, who accused Mikichi Tonozaki of committing lewd acts.

D-kun filed a complaint in September 2022, and about a year later, on October 16, 2023, the Saitama Prefectural Police arrested Tonozaki on charges of forcible indecency. Over 1,000 explicit videos and images of young men were found stored on Tonozaki’s smartphone, which was seized during the arrest. The seized explicit images served as evidence, and Tonozaki was subsequently arrested multiple times.

He was charged with crimes including photographing sexual acts, violations of laws against child prostitution and pornography, and violations of child welfare laws, and on June 7, 2023, he was sentenced to three years in prison by the Saitama District Court.

However, the case reported by D-kun was not prosecuted. The reasons considered include Tonozaki’s denial of the accusations and the fact that it took three years to file the complaint, which resulted in the absence of objective evidence. No images of D-kun were found on Tonozaki’s smartphone.

 

 

“When I heard from my son, the first thing that came to mind was that he had been subjected to verbal abuse during the band practice. Tonozaki might have been an excellent instructor for the band, but the training was indeed quite harsh. I went to the city’s Board of Education and explained that ‘my son was slapped and verbally abused by Tonozaki, which has now turned into trauma, making it impossible for him to go to school.’ When I requested to meet Tonozaki, the Board of Education arranged a meeting. During that meeting, Tonozaki apologized, saying, ‘Although it wasn’t meant as affection, there were instances of hitting and similar behavior. I’m sorry.’ The discussion ended there” (D-kun’s father).

That night, when D-kun returned home, he began to reveal that he had been subjected to even more severe inappropriate behavior by Tonozaki.

D-kun’s allegation of being a victim involves an incident that occurred on September 6, 2019, during a stay at a hot spring facility in Gunma Prefecture for a wind band competition.

Around 10 PM, after practice and dinner, D-kun was summoned to Tonozaki’s room. It was reported that another student, who had also been called by Tonozaki, came to get him. It was already bedtime. After being made to give a massage in the room, D-kun was taken to a private outdoor bath under the pretext of going to the bath.

They locked the door so that he could not escape, and there Tonozaki touched his son’s pubic area, among other things. Tonozaki admits that he and his son went into the private bath together. However, he denies what happened after that.

Hearing D-kun’s allegations, his parents consulted the Saitama Prefecture Victim Support Center. They were advised to contact the police and subsequently filed a report.

“I never imagined that my son would be subjected to indecent behavior by a teacher. It may have been even harder for him to speak up because he is male and experienced sexual abuse,” said D-kun’s father.

Upon entering junior high school, D-kun joined the brass band club.

At first he was beaten and verbally abused, but gradually he began to have more physical contact with the defendant, such as when he was forced to give massages inside the school.

During the year leading up to Tonozaki’s arrest, my son was interviewed by the police more than 10 times. The brass band practices not only at school but also in a public hall, and he was summoned to the dressing room and had his pubic area touched. He told us that not only did they touch him over his clothes, but they also took off his pants.

Despite being told there was no objective evidence, we somehow managed to get the arrest.

Subsequently, with multiple arrests and re-arrests, D decided to appear in court as a witness and confront Tonozaki. It is said that he coordinated with the prosecutor’s office on how to handle cross-examinations by the defense attorney.

 

However, around the end of March 2023, while the trial was already underway, a document arrived stating that the case had been dismissed.

“The police reassured us by saying, ‘Because your son spoke up, the crimes of Tonozaki were revealed. If your son hadn’t filed the report, these crimes might still be ongoing.’ However, it’s disappointing that my son wasn’t recognized for his suffering. In the end, his testimony was completely disregarded. Even though he finally spoke out, no one believed him. I just wish he could have at least had the chance to testify” (D-kun’s father).

“Since he stopped going to school, my son has thrown away his graduation album and all his competition certificates. He has erased all memories of his middle school days and his achievements in the brass band. It’s as if time stopped for him in middle school. Diagnosed with PTSD, he is still struggling to find a way forward while receiving treatment at the hospital. He still says he wants to die and has frequent sleepless nights. After all this devastation, I wish there had been some apology” (D-kun’s mother).

A few days before the verdict was announced, D-kun’s father met with Mikichi Tonozaki. While Tonozaki admitted to being in the private bath with D-kun, he remained silent when asked why it was necessary for them to be alone together.

“Evidence, evidence, video. What kind of evidence is there in a private room with just two people? Moreover, the other party is overwhelmingly older and in a superior position. A teenage boy can hardly resist in such a situation. I sometimes wonder what Japanese law is really about. In the end, it feels like a loss for the victim. It seems more like the law is designed to protect the perpetrator rather than the victim” (D-kun’s father).

In his final statement, Tonozaki said, “The past cannot be changed, but I believe the future can be.”

Meanwhile, D-kun remains stuck in his middle school days, unable to find a way to move forward.