A court on Wednesday ordered the city of Osaka to pay about ¥75 million (about $670,000) in damages to the parents of a 17-year-old high school student, recognizing that the student killed himself in 2012 due to beatings by a teacher at a city-run school.
The parents of the Sakuranomiya Senior High School student had sought ¥170 million in damages, claiming physical punishment by the teacher, who coached the school's basketball team, pushed their son to his limits and that the school failed to take the necessary steps against it.
In handing down the ruling, the presiding judge, Nobuaki Iwai at the Tokyo District Court, said the student "killed himself as the physical punishment made him feel trapped," adding the coach could have foreseen the suicide.