A 61-year-old male principal of a junior high school in Osaka has told his students that giving birth to two children or more is the "most important thing" for a woman, according to the city education board.
Hisao Terai, the head of a public junior high school in the city of Osaka, said at a school assembly with about 600 students on Feb. 29 that "the most important thing for a woman is to give birth to two or more children" and it is "more valuable than building her career." He added that a woman can go to college after finishing her child rearing.
The board said it is considering taking some sort of action against Terai because his statements were "indiscreet," adding the action could include disciplinary punishment.
According to the education board, it questioned Terai about the statements after receiving an anonymous call earlier this month. The school head told the board he recognizes no error in his statements.
When Kyodo News contacted him, Terai admitted he made the statements and reiterated them, saying, "The greatest joy for women is child rearing."
Terai said he made the statements "out of a keen sense of crisis over (Japan's) falling population" and that he also told male students to "offer assistance in child rearing."
"I really hope that they will create a society in which people can raise a family with a sense of security," he added.