Society

Bullying Leads to 14-Year-Old Girl Freezing to Death

HOKKAIDO, Jun 30 (News On Japan) - In a significant development regarding the 2021 incident in which a junior high school girl froze to death in Asahikawa, Hokkaido, a reinvestigation committee has acknowledged that bullying was likely the primary cause of her suicide.

In 2021, Asahikawa City faced a tragic incident where 14-year-old junior high school student Saaya Hirose, who had been subjected to bullying, froze to death in a park. Today, the city's reinvestigation committee reported to Mayor Hiroyuki Imazu that Hirose had experienced seven acts of bullying both inside and outside of school, which were likely the main cause of her suicide.

Naoki Ogi, chairman of the Asahikawa Bullying Issue Reinvestigation Committee, stated, "It is evident that the trauma from bullying, flashbacks, and various other factors had a lasting impact, causing her prolonged suffering."

The initial investigation by a third-party committee had acknowledged the bullying but concluded that there was no clear causal link to her suicide. This conclusion led to strong objections from Hirose's family, prompting a reinvestigation that began two years ago.

Source: TBS

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