Japan Press Weekly

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2019 June 26 - July 2 [SOCIAL ISSUES]

Bullying victim at Defense Academy urges Defense Ministry to take countermeasures

A man who suffered from bullying and violence at the National Defense Academy, his family, and lawyers on June 25 made representations to the Defense Ministry, demanding the implementation of measures to prevent human rights violations at the academy.

In the representations, the man said that in the ongoing court battle which he wages to win compensation for damages, it was revealed that at the NDA, senior students commit acts of violence and make abusive remarks against junior students under the pretext of “giving instructions”. He also said that NDA teaching staff turn a blind eye to such harassment.

At a rally held after the representations, Naito Isao of the Japan Peace Committee gave a speech on behalf of the rally organizer and said that the NDA seems to want to turn out rowdy military officers rather than well-disciplined Self-Defense Force officers.

The plaintiff said that the reason why he entered the NDA was because he was inspired by SDF disaster relief activities. He said, “I want the SDF to be an organization that helps people. I launched the court battle in hope of changing the SDF and the academy for the better.”

One of his lawyers said that the lawyers sometimes receive requests for advice concerning bullying and related-inside information from NDA students.

Past related articles:
> Ex-Defense Academy student wins compensation due to harassment by senior students [February 6, 2019]
> Defense Academy student sues his upperclassmen for bullying [August 8, 2014]