Typically, students are encouraged to report bullying to the adults, but what do you do when the adult is the bully?
Extracurricular activities are common, if not sometimes mandatory, in Japan for middle school and high school students. Whether it’s getting some exercise or pursuing something one is personally interested in, club time should ideally be fun and engaging. However, for one kendo club, participating students were forced to cough up money for their coach’s birthday.
▼ No mercy on those who choose to pick on the elderly or the kids.
Supervising a kendo club in Ehime Prefecture’s Ozu city, the 61-year-old individual was recently caught by school authorities for making all 29 members pay 5,000 yen (US$48) each in tribute for his birthday. In total, he pocketed 145,000 yen from the poor students. And while this event itself is horrifying, the extortion didn’t end there.
Since 2009, the offending coach has demanded money from high school students to celebrate his birthday six times. Students who didn’t pay were excluded from participating in kendo competitions whereas students who paid more money than was demanded were treated favorably. and if the total amount of money collected was not to the coach’s liking, he would rebuke the club captain as a show of aggression.
Netizens quickly took to Twitter to express their shock and disgust at the man’s horrendous behavior:
“Wow, his heart must be strong… to not die from the shame of extorting students for money.”
“Soooo is he gonna get arrested or not?”
“Like a high school bully shaking down the pockets of his kouhai…”
Thankfully, the school has already dismissed the coach as of April 16 though it’s unknown whether he will be pursued with further charges or be even arrested. Hopefully he never supervises youngsters again and the affected students receive a new and much kinder coach in the near future for an amazing form of martial arts.
Source: YouTube/ANNnewsCH via Livedoor News/Abema Times via Hachima Kiko
Top image: Wikipedia/Lionel Rigal
Insert images: Pakutaso, SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
Real-life Love Live? Japanese high school starting official idol club extracurricular activity
Japanese high school volleyball player beaten by coach, teammates for violating no-dating rule
Major Japanese city is abolishing extracurricular activities at all of its middle schools
Japanese government promises reduced teacher responsibilities, right to refuse club supervision
Teacher says Japanese schools’ mandatory extracurricular activity rules don’t benefit students
Tokyo losing another iconic video game arcade as Ikebukuro landmark is closing for good
Survey finds that one in five high schoolers don’t know who music legend Masaharu Fukuyama is
Potama serves up epic rice balls like no other, and there’s only one store in Tokyo
Ramen for 99 yen?!? Best value-for-money noodles found at unlikely chain in Japan
Who makes Japan’s best Spam-style onigiri convenience store rice ball? Let’s find out【Taste test】
What’s inside the lucky bag from Akihabara’s largest adult toy shop?
Foreign tourists in Japan will get free Shinkansen tickets to promote regional tourism
The best Hobonichi diaries, covers and stationery for 2026
Japan Extreme Budget Travel! A trip from Tokyo to Izumo for just 30,000 yen [Part 2]
7-Eleven Japan’s sakura sweets season is underway right now!
Starbucks Japan releases first-ever Hinamatsuri Girls’ Day Frappuccino
Japanese restaurant chain serves Dragon Ball donuts and Senzu Beans this spring
Highest Starbucks in Japan set to open this spring in the Tokyo sky
Tokyo Skytree turns pink for the cherry blossom season
Japan Extreme Budget Travel! A trip from Tokyo to Izumo for just 30,000 yen [Part 1]
Yakuzen ramen restaurant in Tokyo is very different to a yakuza ramen restaurant
Japan has only one airport named after a samurai, so let’s check out Kochi Ryoma【Photos】
Japanese drugstore sells onigiri at pre-stupid era prices, but how do they compare to 7-Eleven?
Adorable Totoro acorn key holders come with a special guest hidden inside[Photos]
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Foreigners accounting for over 80 percent of off-course skiers needing rescue in Japan’s Hokkaido
Super-salty pizza sends six kids to the hospital in Japan, linguistics blamed
Starbucks Japan unveils new sakura Frappuccino for cherry blossom season 2026
The 10 most annoying things foreign tourists do on Japanese trains, according to locals
Take a trip to Japan’s Dododo Land, the most irritating place on Earth
Naruto and Converse team up for new line of shinobi sneakers[Photos]
Is China’s don’t-go-to-Japan warning affecting the lines at a popular Tokyo gyukatsu restaurant?
Survey asks foreign tourists what bothered them in Japan, more than half gave same answer
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
We deeply regret going into this tunnel on our walk in the mountains of Japan
Studio Ghibli releases Kodama forest spirits from Princess Mononoke to light up your home
Major Japanese hotel chain says reservations via overseas booking sites may not be valid
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
No more using real katana for tourism activities, Japan’s National Police Agency says
Japanese teacher apologizes for peeing on students’ futon during club retreat
Survey reveals the average monthly allowance of Japanese high school students
Sports-playing Japanese junior high students at an all-time low, survey finds
Nagoya elementary students caught defrauding classmate for nearly 1 million yen
Petition started to stop forcing students to cheer for their high school baseball teams
Japanese junior high school student pranks teacher by lacing school lunch with laxative
Foreign student who punched Japanese basketball referee returns to home country, coach suspended
High schooler “forced” to quit school sues Kumamoto prefecture for a single yen
Japanese high school students build crazy wooden roller coaster at school festival【Video】
Japanese middle school student drives cram school teacher nuts with delusional rantings
American English teacher fired from Japanese high school after exposing genitals
Japanese high school students go viral with perfect Pixar logo performance 【Video】
1 in 20 Japanese junior high school students regularly missing school, government study finds
Sega begins Puyo Puyo Boot Camp to help bring eSports into more Japanese high schools
High school students rapidly losing interest in sumo teams because too “painful,” “scary,” and “naked”