“I’ll Give You a Massage”: High School Teacher Arrested After Allegedly Crossing a Line With a Graduate

“The teacher I trusted, of all people”

On the morning of August 21, shortly before 9 a.m., Takuma Yamada (31) was the first among the suspects being referred to prosecutors that day to emerge from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department’s Kodaira Police Station. He stared intently at the cameras, as if watching them cautiously from behind a wall. But this lasted only briefly; he then kept his head down as he boarded the police transport vehicle. What was he thinking about the allegation that he had harmed a former student?

On August 19, Kodaira Police arrested Yamada, a teacher at Tokyo Metropolitan Kodaira Minami High School, on suspicion of committing non-consensual indecency against a teenage female former student.

“The incident occurred around 5 to 7 p.m. on March 29. The woman had just graduated from the school that spring and reportedly visited the teachers’ room to greet a teacher she had known previously. Yamada had also taught her English while she was still a student, so they knew each other.

Yamada reportedly told her that he would give her career advice, saying things like, ‘I’ll listen to your concerns’ and ‘People from outside can’t enter the teachers’ room,’ and lured her to the English preparation room. Once the two were alone in the classroom, Yamada allegedly said, ‘Your posture is bad. I’ll give you a massage,’ and touched the woman’s upper body. Yamada denies the allegations, saying, ‘I did touch her body, but I intended it as a massage and had no indecent intentions.’” (Reporter from the social affairs department of a major national newspaper)

Although the incident occurred in March, it was not until mid-June that the woman consulted her parents and reported the matter to the police. This was reportedly because “I never thought that a teacher I trusted would do something like that, so I couldn’t bring myself to tell my parents for quite some time.”

What is the relationship between a graduated student and a teacher?

The Act on the Prevention of Sexual Violence by Teachers came into effect in April 2022. To prevent sexual violence by teachers against children and students, the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education has also been promoting the “Three Don’ts Plus” campaign, which adds “There can be no romantic relationship between students and school staff” to the principles of “Don’t touch, don’t send messages, and don’t be alone together.”

Under the Act on the Prevention of Sexual Violence by Teachers, not only children and students enrolled in schools but also those under 18 who are not enrolled in a school are protected as children and students, etc. The reported circumstances in this case—touching the body and being alone together in a classroom—overlap with two situations, don’t touch and don’t be alone together, that the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education asks teachers to avoid with enrolled children and students under the “Three Don’ts Plus” campaign.

The incident occurred on March 29. In some cases, even after graduation, students are still treated as being enrolled at the high school until March 31. The woman appears to have visited her former school as a graduate, but regarding how she was treated at the time of the incident, the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education responded, “We cannot say anything definitive because we have not established the facts, but generally speaking, it is possible that she would still be considered an enrolled student.”

An education professional said, “Even if someone’s institutional status changes, that does not mean the relationship between teacher and student that existed up to that point simply disappears.”

“The Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education’s guidelines on professional conduct state that teachers and students are in a relationship where one provides instruction and the other receives instruction, and require teachers to interact with students while understanding that students may find it difficult to refuse invitations from teachers. Between teachers and students, there is not only an age difference but also a difference in their positions as the person teaching and the person being taught. Students may trust and respect teachers as teachers, and there may also be a psychological tendency to find it difficult to go against what a teacher says.

And just because a student has graduated does not necessarily mean that kind of relationship immediately disappears. The psychological power imbalance between a teacher and former student does not suddenly vanish. Even for graduates aged 18 or older, it may be worth considering requiring teachers to maintain a degree of distance similar to that expected with current students, at least for a certain period after graduation.”

Acts such as being alone together in a classroom, which students were instructed to avoid while they were still enrolled, do not automatically become acceptable simply because they have graduated. Teachers must not forget that they remain teachers.

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