Former Elementary School Teacher’s Chilling Statement Amid Allegations of Inappropriate Conduct

“The girl lacked mature judgment and was under psychological pressure from the defendant.”

The presiding judge pointed this out and dismissed the former teacher’s claim.

On July 16, the Tokyo High Court (Presiding Judge Masayoshi Tamura) upheld the first-instance ruling against former teacher Ken Kawashima (48), who was charged with attempted quasi-rape and violating the Child Prostitution and Pornography Prohibition Act (production and possession). He was sentenced to five years in prison.

“Defendant Kawashima worked at an elementary school in Tokyo. He filmed the girls at his school while they were changing and attempted to sexually assault another girl. In court, Kawashima claimed, ‘It was not rape. We were in a relationship,'” said a judicial reporter for a national newspaper.

‘FRIDAY Digital’ reported in detail about the crimes committed by Defendant Kawashima, who, despite being in the position of a teacher, committed these acts, in an article published on April 6, 2022. We would like to revisit the series of malicious crimes he repeatedly committed (the content has been partially revised).

 

Sitting the child on his lap and touching her body.

The teacher, who repeatedly committed lewd acts against his students, was arrested for the third time.

On April 2, 2022, the First Investigation Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department rearrested Defendant Kawashima on suspicion of rape. Kawashima had been arrested twice in February and March of the same year for filming girls at his school while they were changing into swimsuits using his smartphone.

“In November 2021, a female student who felt suspicious consulted the school. The school contacted the police. Kawashima’s home was searched, and nearly 20 photos and videos of girls taken surreptitiously from his smartphone were found. Additionally, about 1,000 images of child pornography, which appeared to be downloaded from the internet, were stored on his phone,” said a reporter from a national newspaper’s social affairs department. 

The victims of the surreptitious filming were all girls from the classes Kawashima taught.

“Kawashima’s lewd behavior wasn’t limited to this. It is said that he also repeatedly engaged in similar acts, such as sitting girls on his lap and touching their bodies, at a previous elementary school where he worked. His behavior was also a concern at the school, and according to TBS reports, he was suspended for three months in 2017. However, no criminal activity was identified at that time, and the police were not consulted,” the reporter added.

 

The third arrest was on suspicion of rape. The crime was extremely severe.

“The incident occurred in May 2012. Kawashima allegedly called his former student, A-san, to a friend’s house in Saitama Prefecture and sexually assaulted her. Kawashima tried to silence A-san by saying, ‘Keep it a secret,’ and ‘It’s our little secret.’

The catalyst for his arrest was a computer seized from Kawashima’s home. The computer contained videos and still images of the assaults on the girl. It appears the girl had been subjected to multiple instances of sexual assault. Kawashima stated during the investigation, ‘I have nothing to say about the facts,’” the reporter added.

Kawashima could not control his desires and inflicted deep, unforgettable wounds on the girls’ hearts.