Former Junior High School Principal Who Sexually Assaulted a Female Student

“The defendant touched the female student under the guise of massaging her. He continued to do so even after the female student began to cry.”

In his opening statement, the prosecutor criticized the defendant’s actions.

 

On November 20, the Tokyo District Court held the first trial of the former principal, 57-year-old Hizaka Kitamura, who is charged with attempted rape and injury for sexually assaulting and injuring a female student, A, at the public junior high school where he worked. He is accused of committing indecent acts on A under the pretext of a massage.

“The prosecution argued, ‘He put the victim in a psychological state where she could not resist, making her feel that she might suffer disadvantages if she did not comply, and made her do as he wished.’ On the other hand, the defense claimed, ‘There were no words or actions from the victim that indicated rejection,’ and denied part of the charges. Immediately after his arrest, Kitamura told the police, ‘I did not have the intention of committing sexual intercourse. I couldn’t suppress my desire for the victim.’

Kitamura is also accused of another incident at a different school where he worked. He allegedly filmed indecent acts with two female students and stored the footage in a locked drawer in the principal’s office. According to the prosecution, Kitamura later confessed to the police, saying, ‘I thought it would be a waste to delete the data, so I kept it to watch later.’ He brought it to the principal’s office because he feared his new wife would find it if it were kept at home.” (Reporter covering the judiciary for a national newspaper)

“FRIDAY Digital” reported in an article on September 14, 2023, in detail about the indecent video incident filmed by defendant Kitamura. We want to reprint it and reflect on the unforgivable crime committed by the former principal against his students, as well as his astonishing justification (the content has been partially revised).

 

“I had feelings for her.”

“I had been subjected to indecent acts by a teacher in the past.”

The incident came to light following a phone call to the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education’s “Third-Party Consultation Desk.” The caller was the woman who had been victimized. After several exchanges with the officer in charge, the woman consulted the police. Upon investigating the middle school principal’s workplace and home, the police discovered a video camera in the principal’s desk containing nude images of the woman, a former student.

On September 10, 2023, the Tokyo Metropolitan Police’s First Investigation Division arrested Kitamura on suspicion of violating the Child Prostitution and Child Pornography Prohibition Law (possession).

 

“The defendant admitted to the police that he was in possession of a camera that contained images of a female student being touched and naked. He said the following about his motive and the situation. ‘I saved (the images) thinking I might see them again,’ and ‘I was taking images of the female student’s lower body being touched.’

The female victim was a student at a junior high school in Tokyo where Kitamura used to work. Kitamura says, ‘I had a liking for her. Her image was not the only one stored on the video. A video of another girl was also found, and the police are investigating for additional crimes.”

Kitamura went to a prestigious public high school in Tokyo and then to a national university. At the university, he studied in the education department and focused mainly on science research. His reputation among parents and students was not bad.