Former Elite High School Teacher Cries in Court After Assaulting Three Students Over Five Months

Additional charges emerged one after another following his arrest

“Calling out students’ names at graduation ceremonies was my professional goal and my reason for living.”

The former high school teacher, arrested for sexually harassing three female students, tearfully expressed regret during his trial that he was unable to attend the graduation ceremony.

“On December 11, 2025, the Urayasu Police Station of the Chiba Prefectural Police arrested Yuma Hayata (29 at the time of arrest), a teacher at Chiba Prefectural Girls’ High School, on suspicion of non-consensual indecent assault. He is suspected of touching high school student A’s body over her underwear on a public bus around 9:00 p.m. on the previous day, the 10th.

A female passenger who was asked for help by Student A called 110, leading to the arrest. At the time of his arrest, Defendant Hayata denied the charges, stating, ‘I did not commit any indecent acts whatsoever.’” (Social Affairs Reporter, National Newspaper)

Although Defendant Hayata denied the charges, subsequent investigations revealed a series of additional offenses. The aforementioned social affairs reporter continues.

“On January 6, the Urayasu Police Station re-arrested Hayata on suspicion of non-consensual indecent assault. He is suspected of touching high school student B’s body over her clothes on a local bus around 10 p.m. on September 22, 2025. B’s family reported that our daughter was touched on the bus, and Hayata was identified through dashcam footage and other evidence.

On January 27, he was re-arrested by the Chiba Central Police Station, again on suspicion of indecent assault. He is suspected of sitting next to high school student C, who was asleep in her seat on a train around 7:00 a.m. on August 20, 2025, and touching her body by putting his hand inside her clothing. The defendant Hayata denied both charges, stating, ‘I don’t remember.’”

Hayata’s second trial was held at the Chiba District Court on April 15, and the court concluded the proceedings.

Hayata, who is out on bail, appeared in court wearing a black suit, a white shirt, and a navy blue tie. He was seen occasionally wiping away tears with his sleeve.

Hayata, who is charged with non-consensual indecent acts against three high school girls, has admitted to the crimes, stating, “There is no mistake.” Regarding his initial denials at the time of his arrest—when he said, “I didn’t do it” and “I don’t remember”—he offered the following explanation.

Stress from overwork

“I didn’t want to admit that I had committed such acts against women. Also, given my position as a teacher, I ended up saying, ‘I didn’t do it.’ However, I realized that wasn’t honest, so I admitted it and am speaking about it now. I deeply regret my actions.”

He claims that since three to four months had passed between the crimes against Ms. B and Ms. C and his arrest, there are parts of his memory that have faded, but he was able to recall some details by watching footage from dashcams and other sources.

Currently, defendant Hayata states that he is enrolled in a sexual offense recidivism prevention program to ensure he never commits such crimes again. Through counseling, he has analyzed that the series of offenses stemmed from an interest in women’s bodies, with work-related stress serving as the trigger.

In response to the prosecutor’s question, “Is there any connection to the fact that the students at the school where you worked were the same age as you?” he stated, “I only learned that Ms. A was a minor after my arrest.”

“I have worked there for five years and have never done anything of that nature to the students. I absolutely do not have any sexual interest in minors or high school girls. I can state that with certainty.”

At the time of the offenses, Hayata was covering classes for a colleague on parental leave and, as a third-year homeroom teacher, was extremely busy with career counseling and interview practice, reportedly to the point of being overworked.

Hayata stated that during counseling, his counselor identified the following as the cause of his actions.

“It was pointed out that my conflict with a colleague over career guidance for students may have led to a feeling of desire for control, which was the cause of the incident.”

Hayata explained his motive for the crime as follows: “When stress had built up and I was not in a normal mental state, a situation arose in which I could commit sexual harassment, and it just so happened that a high school girl was sitting next to me.”

He read his statement of remorse and wept uncontrollably

On this day, closing arguments were presented in court.

The prosecutor argued, “The defendant committed each crime with firm resolve to satisfy his own twisted sexual desires, and it is difficult to find any mitigating circumstances in his motives,” and sought a sentence of two years and six months in prison.

On the other hand, the defense attorney stated, “The defendant has deeply reflected on his actions and is actively working to prevent recidivism by participating in a sexual offender prevention program,” adding, “We respectfully request a suspended sentence.”

At the end of the trial, Defendant Hayata took the stand and read his statement of remorse.

He offered words of apology to the victim and her family and expressed remorse for betraying the trust of his colleagues and students. Although his facial expression was not visible, he could be seen wiping his eyes with his arm. Then, the moment he read, “I was the homeroom teacher for a class of high school seniors,” he burst into tears. He uttered those opening words with a choked voice.

On April 16, the Chiba Prefectural Board of Education dismissed Hayata from his position through disciplinary action. Had she not been arrested, would she have attended the graduation ceremony, putting on a brave face, and—choking back tears—called out the name of each and every student?

The verdict is scheduled to be handed down on May 1.

 

“FRIDAY Digital” welcomes tips and information from our readers. Please submit any information via the form below or through our official X account.

Information form: https://friday.kodansha.co.jp/tips
Official X: https://x.com/FRIDAY_twit