Anatomy of an Affair

So yesterday I had the TV on when I glanced over and noticed a few familiar faces from my Board of Education on the local news. The cameras panned the audience and I noticed the room was filled with local principals from my schools and other guys I recognize. I didn't catch what the story was but it looked as if it was a important meeting. The head honchos of the city board of education were bowing in an apologetic way. So today I had to go into the office to take care of some stuff. As I was getting ready to leave, I casually mentioned to my supervisor Yuji, that I saw my principals on TV yesterday. I proceeded to ask him what the meeting was about. He sat me down and brought today's newspaper. He told me at one of the city high schools, a teacher was found to be having an affair with one of the students. So of course I had to ask him a bunch of questions. I talked with Yuji for about 20 minutes about the incident and about attitudes about this kind of stuff in Japan.

Apparently, a 30 year old teacher had been having a consensual relationship with a 3rd year student (17) for a few weeks. He said an anonymous e-mail had been sent to someone at the BOE. The course of action after this: the director of the Teaching Personnel Section, Mr. Kawakami, met with the teacher in question and got all the lurid details of the entire relationship. He then called the media and explained the situation who then interviewed Mr. Kawakami at length. Soon after this, a meeting was held (the one I saw on TV) with every prinicipal from every school in Kumamoto (Elementary, Junior and Senior High). I think the point was to let them know what happened and to stress what a severe issue this is. (My principal talked for about 10 minutes about it in the morning meeting at my school). The superintendant, along with Mr. Kawakami and some other higher ups decided to fire the teacher, therefore revoking his teacher's license. One thing that is truly Japanese: Yuji told me that the principal and vice principal of the high school where the man worked will be penalized, as in foregoing perhaps 10% of their salary! Unreal. Yuji also said there were people calling the BOE and the high school all day today. He said all the sports clubs at the school have been cancelled for the next few days because of increased media presence at the school.

If only this guy could have waited until this girl was 18 (whenever that is) or at least unitl April when she graduates. Now he'll be riding a bike around town with massive bags of aluminum cans hanging all over it. The moral: keep it in your pants at school, man.