Viral Bullying Footage Shows Elementary School Student Pushed Into the Sea — What Is the Criminal Responsibility of Junior High Students?
An elementary school child crying after being pushed into the sea
In response to the successive spread of bullying videos online, six government bodies—including the Children and Families Agency, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications—held an inter-ministerial liaison meeting on bullying prevention measures on January 16. In light of the spread of videos and posts that could lead to violations of children’s human rights, they plan to request cooperation from social media companies to promptly delete such content in accordance with their terms of use.
Amid this, an exposé-style account that has been posting bullying videos, known as “Death Doll Note,” uploaded a new bullying video, drawing attention.
The post included the following description:
〈An elementary school in Osaka Prefecture
Perpetrator student
Notes: After restraining the victim from behind, pushed them into the sea
Perpetrator: Junior high school student in Osaka Prefecture
Victim: Elementary school student in Osaka Prefecture〉
Along with this explanation, three videos were posted.
In the first video, a perpetrator believed to be a junior high school student is seen applying a chokehold (strangling) from behind on a victim believed to be an elementary school student. The victim’s face is blurred, but the perpetrator’s face is shown clearly without any mosaic processing. There appear to be several people around who look like classmates, and voices can be heard laughing and saying things like,
“This is seriously bad—let go once, that’s bullying.”
After the chokehold ends, it is clear even through the mosaic that the victim is rubbing their eyes with their hands. They are obviously crying, and this is far beyond the level of mere horseplay.
In the other videos, the victim is seen in the sea.
In the first of these, the victim is wearing the same kind of blue clothing as when they were being choked, but in the second video, their skin is exposed and it appears they are not wearing clothes. As the victim cries out, the perpetrators mockingly say things like, “The police are coming!” and “They’re crying!”
A male junior high school student arrested in Kumamoto
“The perpetrators appear to be filming from a breakwater, but it looks too high for an elementary school child to climb up on their own. If someone is pushed into the sea after being strangled, there is a possibility they could die. Many people were shaking with anger after seeing the video, and it has caused a huge backlash. Nara City councilor Hezuma Ryu, who has appeared alongside Masao Madō, the founder of Death Doll Note, and works with him on anti-bullying activities, has also expressed his outrage, posting, ‘Hezuma Ryu is taking action,’” said a sports newspaper reporter.
Councilor Hezuma Ryu appears to have acted quickly. Around midday on January 18, he stood at what is believed to be the scene and posted a photo of himself along with the message:
“〈[Report] We have identified the scene of the bullying (attempted murder). I truly believe the child who was pushed into the sea suffered terribly.〉”
These bullying videos, which have even drawn in the government and become a social issue, continue to spread. Regarding an assault video from Kumamoto Prefecture that had already circulated, the victim’s mother filed a police report, and on January 16 the Kumamoto Prefectural Police arrested a 15-year-old male junior high school student in the prefecture on suspicion of causing bodily injury.
What will happen in this Osaka strangling and pushing into the sea incident? The perpetrator appears quite young—could they still be held criminally responsible?
Attorney Kenta Morimi of Morimi Law Office explained:
“If the perpetrator is 13 years old or younger, the police may notify a child guidance center or refer the case to family court, and measures aimed at rehabilitation may be taken, but criminal responsibility will not be pursued. Criminal responsibility applies from age 14. If the person is 14 or older and deemed to have criminal responsibility, then depending on various circumstances such as the victim’s condition, the location and timing of the act, they may be charged with bodily injury or even attempted murder.”
Although unverified, it appears that the perpetrating student’s name and even their junior high school have already been identified. In some cases, so-called online vigilantism can lead not only to the individual’s name but also their family being exposed. How will this unlawful online doxxing unfold from here?