Videos of Student Violence: Careless Posting Could Constitute Illegal Act

Editorial

15:39 JST, January 25, 2026

Videos capturing student violence at schools have been widely shared. Careless posting of such videos on social media risks legal liability. Such acts should be recognized as unacceptable.

A roughly one-minute video was filmed showing a student kicking another student in the head and then straddling and slapping him in a hallway at a junior high school in Oita. This video went viral on social media.

A video was also shared showing one student punching another student in the face in a restroom at a prefectural high school in Tochigi Prefecture. The name of the school and the alleged aggressor’s name were also revealed, and a series of defamatory comments were posted.

In both cases, besides the perpetrator and victim, there appears to have been a third student involved who filmed the violence. In the Oita case, a device for educational learning was used to film the incident.

Those who inflicted harm are clearly reprehensible, but those who filmed the violence without even trying to stop it also deserve condemnation. If they then shared the videos on social media just for fun, that cannot be dismissed as a prank.

Posting and sharing videos that defame another person or involve slander could be subject to criminal or civil liability.

The Oita and Tochigi prefectural police have launched investigations into the violent acts. They should clarify the facts and handle the situations appropriately.

Some people view the spread of such videos positively, arguing the videos revealed the violence. However, once videos and information go viral online, it is difficult to erase them completely. Private punishment of the perpetrators must not be allowed. Furthermore, there is a risk that such acts could even harm the victims for years to come.

In these cases, the schools were not aware of the violent acts. The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry has taken the matter seriously and gathered together such people as those heading boards of education for prefectures and ordinance-designated cities, urging them to reassess whether bullying is occurring at schools.

Last fiscal year, bullying cases at elementary, junior high and high schools and other educational institutions nationwide exceeded 760,000, a new record. While schools now actively recognize teasing and taunting also as acts of bullying, the actual number of cases is likely much higher.

Videos of violence by students and others have also been filmed outside of Oita City and Tochigi Prefecture and posted online. Schools should conduct broad investigations, assuming that there is hidden bullying and violence.

Extreme videos featuring young people engaged in staged fights with each other are gaining popularity online.

Are students being influenced by such videos? Are they increasingly seeking to gain attention by posting violent videos online? Communities and schools need to keep a close eye on student behavior.

 (From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Jan. 25, 2026)