Former Hiroshima City elementary school teacher sentenced to 9 years in prison for molesting 34 people

The Hiroshima District Court handed down the verdict on the 19th for a male defendant (40), a former Hiroshima municipal elementary school teacher, who was accused of committing indecent acts on female children at the elementary school where he worked, and was charged with violating the Act on Punishment, including indecent exposure and photographing sexual poses. Judge Tomohiko Sato found that 34 children had been harmed and sentenced the defendant to nine years in prison (requisite 13 years). According to the ruling, between January 2023 and June 2025, at the elementary school where he worked, the defendant touched the tongues and hair of three children with his genitals, and also touched the breasts of three children under the pretext of checking their physical condition. They also took photographs of children with their breasts exposed and secretly filmed them changing clothes. The judgment identified a total of 34 children as victims. Judge Sato pointed out that the crime had been committed over a long period of time, had many victims, and was clearly addictive. ``This was a despicable crime that was well-planned and took advantage of the victims' immaturity and the trust they had in the defendant, who was a teacher.There are concerns that this will have a negative impact on the healthy growth of the victims, and the criminal responsibility is heavy.'' The defendant claimed that he had been cornered by his superiors and was unable to control himself. In September last year, the city board of education ordered the defendant to be disciplined and dismissed. ◇ Out of consideration for the victims, the names of the defendants have been anonymized in the digital version.