Descriptions:
A third-year high school student in Sendai City was diagnosed with depression after being bullied. The Sendai City Board of Education announced it would launch an investigation to determine whether the incident constituted serious bullying. The student, who is currently in her third year of junior high school, claims that she was bullied since fourth grade, including being left out from peers and locked in a locker to clean her classroom, and that the bullying continued into high school . The student was diagnosed with depression and adjustment disorder and was transferred to another school. In July, students called for the incident to be declared a “serious bullying incident,” but the Sendai City Board of Education did not investigate, saying “parents later requested that the investigation be dropped.” However, since general questions about the matter were scheduled to be asked at the September City Council meeting, the Board of Education reiterated this to parents and they stated their intention to request an investigation. In response, the Board of Education determined that this was a “serious situation” and decided to open an investigation by a commission of inquiry.