Tokai University Osaka Kosei High School rugby team member strangled and rendered unconscious; recognized as serious bullying situation

In December 2025, at Tokai University Osaka Kyosei High School (Hirakata City, Osaka Prefecture), a 3rd year rugby club member was strangled from behind by another 3rd year member, causing him to temporarily lose consciousness and fall down, which the school had certified as a ``serious situation'' under the Act on Promotion of Anti-Bullying Measures, it has been revealed through an interview with the school.

According to the school and other sources, on December 31, 2025, a member of the club was strangled by another club member inside the school after practice, temporarily losing consciousness, and hitting his head when he fell. The director did not call 911 because he regained consciousness. While returning home with his parents, who rushed to the hospital after being contacted, he complained of not feeling well, and when he visited a medical institution, he was diagnosed with a concussion.

The school learned of the incident on the same day. The student who strangled her explained why, saying, ``I don't even know why.'' The school conducted interviews with the affected club members and other students, as well as a questionnaire survey of all members, and concluded that ``no daily violence or ongoing troubles have been confirmed.''

However, considering that the club member had lost consciousness, in February 2026, the incident was deemed a serious situation and a report was submitted to the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology and Osaka Prefecture. The director was also given strict warnings and guidance for ``failing to call for an emergency during the initial response.''

The school is known as a strong rugby school, and was participating in the national high school rugby tournament at the time of the incident. They made it to the top eight in this tournament and had matches at Hanazono on January 1st and 3rd. The school explained why he continued to participate, saying, ``We were in the process of confirming the details.'' Neither team member participated in the game.

In response to an interview, the school commented, ``This is a serious incident, and we take it seriously and reflect on it,'' adding that they will implement thorough measures to ensure the safety of students and reconfirm their initial response to prevent a recurrence. [Takumi Fujikawa]