OSAKA -- A fifth of the entire student body at an Osaka prefectural high school has been grounded for drinking and smoking in parties following a recent athletic event, it was learned July 2.
Suita Senior High School took the punitive measures for 175 of its 924 students. Because eight members of the school's baseball team were among the students grounded, the school has notified the organizers of the national summer high school baseball tournament that the team will pull out as a gesture for students to reflect on their conduct, school authorities said.
On May 13, several groups of students went to party at nearby riverbanks and parks where they drank and smoked cigarettes following a school sporting event. The 175 students took part in these parties, and about 150 were drinking alcohol, they said.
The school grounded the whole group for three days. Akira Yoshioka, the school's vice principal, said he was disappointed that so many students took part in such drinking parties. "We will do our best to prevent things like this from happening again," he added.