Junior High Teacher Arrested for Indecent Conduct Reveals Selfish Motive at Trial

“In April 2023, I was transferred to a new middle school. The stress and loneliness associated with the transfer, and the sadness of not being able to see the male student I had feelings for, were overwhelming. To distract myself from these feelings, I began inviting former students.”

A former middle school teacher who committed lewd acts and took illicit photographs of multiple male students confessed in court that ‘loneliness’ was behind the incidents.

The former middle school teacher in question is Mikichi Tonozaki (44), who was charged with crimes including the filming of sexual acts, violations of the Child Pornography Prevention Act, and violations of the Child Welfare Act.

On October 16, 2023, the Saitama Prefectural Police arrested defendant Tonozaki, a middle school teacher (dismissed from duty on February 8, 2023), on suspicion of forcible indecency for committing indecent acts with a male student at a hot spring facility in Gunma during a school event in 2019.

Although the case was later not prosecuted, over 1,000 indecent videos and still images of young men were found on defendant Tonozaki’s confiscated smartphone. It is said that the images included students and former students who were in their teens at the time.

Since then, the defendant Tonozaki has been arrested five times for indecent acts and voyeuristic photography of male students, which he committed over a period of about four years starting in 2019. The number of victims exceeded 20.

Although defendant Tonozaki caused many victims, he was known as a capable instructor at the middle school where he worked, serving as the advisor for the brass band club and leading them to the “All-Japan Band Competition” six times. He was also a standing director of the Prefectural Band Association.

Given this, a parent of a former brass band member said, “The practice sessions were reportedly very harsh. If mistakes were made, there would be yelling and abusive language. I’ve heard that the severity led some students to quit the band or even become truant.”

In the trial that began on February 8, 2024, the despicable acts committed by the defendant gradually came to light.