Regarding the Jan. 17 letter "Treatment of foreign students": I feel sorry for the Chinese student, and angry with Tohoku University. Although I was not at the scene of the "physical assault," I want to clarify to foreigners studying in Japan that corporal punishment at Japanese educational institutions is strictly prohibited by law. The professor should have been punished.
It is likely that the authorities thought if it became publicly known that one of their professors hit a student, the university's prestige would suffer. I am surprised that such a prestigious university as Tohoku concealed the incident.
hiroshi matsuoka
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