Koryo High School's Withdrawal from Koshien: Lax Response Invited Defamation on Social Media

Yomiuri Shimbun

5 days ago

It can be said that a school's lax awareness toward violence and its poor response has worsened a situation. Defamatory comments on social media also cannot be overlooked, causing users' morals to be questioned once again.
Koryo High School in Hiroshima Prefecture, which was participating in the National High School Baseball Championship, withdrew from the tournament after winning its first game. The reason cited was a spate of defamatory comments on social media following a violent incident involving team members in January.
The violent incident reportedly involved a then first-year student who ate instant noodles in the baseball team's dormitory and was subsequently beaten by senior students. Upon receiving a report, the Japan High School Baseball Federation issued a severe reprimand to the high school in March. The victimized student had no choice but to transfer to a different school.
Starting in late July, a person claiming to be the victim's parent posted on social media that more team members than the school acknowledged were involved in the violent incident, sparking a flood of criticism against the school.
Even though defamatory comments were made on social media, it is obvious that the school side's failure to take the issue seriously and its mishandling of the initial response led to the withdrawal from the tournament.
The Law for the Promotion of Measures to Prevent Bullying designates cases in which there is suspicion that bullying has caused serious harm to a child's life, physical and mental health, or property as 'serious incidents' and mandates the establishment of an investigative body.
However, Koryo High School determined that the incident did not constitute bullying and also did not report it to the department in charge at the prefectural government.
High school baseball is primarily a school club activity. As a school known for its strong baseball team that regularly participates in the national tournament at Koshien Stadium, didn't Koryo exhibit an excessive 'win-at-all-costs mentality,' lacking the awareness to strictly address violence as an educational institution?
Separately from this incident, another problem has come to light in which a former team member alleged that he had suffered violence from the coach and other team members, leading to the establishment of a third-party committee in June. One cannot help but suspect that violence was rampant within the closed dormitory environment.
There also remain questions about the decision made by the Japan High School Baseball Federation. Is the 'severe reprimand' it issued to the high school an appropriate punishment for a violent incident in which the victimized student had no choice but to change schools? Is it right to decide on a punishment based solely on the arguments of the Koryo side without hearing the victim's side? It is necessary to consider reviewing the examination method.
Bomb threats have been made on social media against the baseball club dormitory and defamatory comments have been directed at unrelated students. Photos and names of players and others are being identified as those of 'perpetrators' with unknown veracity, creating a situation that could be called an 'online lynching.'
Spreading content that contains factual errors or defamation may result in legal liability. The people posting should be aware that if a sense of justice that 'bullying is unacceptable' goes too far, it can itself constitute bullying.
(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Aug. 13, 2025)