A former middle school principal in Tokyo was sentenced to nine years in prison on Monday for raping his students and videotaping the acts 14 years ago.

The Tokyo District Court found Hisayoshi Kitamura, 57, guilty of sexually assaulting a number of his former students. Twenty-nine video clips and 19 photos of the acts were found on a video camera at his office in a middle school in Nerima Ward, which he had become principal of, after one of the victims reported her assault to the metropolitan education board in 2022.

He was dismissed from his position in November 2023.

According to the ruling, Kitamura in 2010 performed sexual acts on the students, who were around 13 or 14 years old at the time, between once to several times per week. He was the supervisor of the girls' after-school activities club then.

Prosecutors sought 10 years' imprisonment for Kitamura, who denied the charges against him, saying that he thought the relationships were consensual and that the girls could have refused if they wanted to.

Presiding Judge Yasunobu Hosoya, however, said the defendant took advantage of his position of authority in committing the indecent acts against the victims, who were psychologically unable to resist, and condemned his actions as “extremely malicious” and “persistent.”

“The defendant has been committing indecency for a long time without paying any attention to the victims' anguish,” the judge said. “The fact that this crime was committed in a school, a place where students are supposed to be protected by teachers and learn in good health, cannot be overlooked in terms of sentencing.”

However, Hosoya also considered the fact that Kitamura had voluntarily paid ¥1 million ($6,660) in damages to one of his victims and that he has no criminal record. The judge also considered a pledge made by the defendant's wife to support his rehabilitation upon his release from prison.

During Kitamura's trial, one of his victims testified that she could not consult anyone when she was assaulted as a student because she had been taught to follow the instructions of teachers. She also said she felt embarrassed and did not know that what was being done to her is a crime.

“Teachers were an absolute presence, and I was afraid to resist. I was worried that my grades would go down, so I couldn't quit the club. After I graduated, I wanted to pretend it never happened,” she said.

It was difficult for the student to refuse the advances of the teacher because she feared that doing so would jeopardize her chances of getting into a high school of her choice since he determined her grades, the ruling said.

The student also testified that following the incidents, she could no longer have romantic relationships. She said that she is unable to engage in sexual acts, which led to her breakup with her former boyfriend. She has also given up on getting married.

“I want to create a world where children can have their voices heard,” the victim told the court.