Osaka Mayor Toru Hashimoto was prepared to resign and call a snap election if the municipal board of education didn't cancel special sports-major slots at a high school where a student committed suicide in December after being repeatedly beaten by his coach.
Last week, the board voted 4-1 to do away with the special slots for physical education majors at Sakuranomiya Senior High School, a specialized school where students major in general studies or two physical education-related programs. A total of 120 slots that had been reserved this spring for students in two other courses of study will be merged with the exams of applicants for the general studies course.
The board's decision was praised by Hashimoto, who had threatened to cut the school's budget if it didn't cancel the slots.