A teacher at an elementary school in Yurihama, Tottori Prefecture, has been accused of punishing slow eaters by forcing them to eat their lunches with their hands for about seven years.
The prefectural bar association said Friday it sent a letter of warning to the teacher, a woman in her 50s, and the Togo Elementary School principal as well as a request to the town's board of education, calling the behavior a human rights violation and demanding it not happen again.
Board officials, including its chairman, Saburo Maeda, admitted at a news conference later in the day that they had failed to handle the situation properly and promised to step up efforts to prevent it from happening again.
The teacher has denied the accusations. She has been relieved of her duties and is currently taking a one-year training course outside the town, according to sources.