TOKYO (TR) – The education ministry has announced an on-site investigation into the operator of a Kyoto high school after a student and a boat captain died in a capsizing incident off the coast of Okinawa last month, reports NHK (Apr. 11).
The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) is stepping up its scrutiny of Doshisha Educational Corporation, stating that the school has repeatedly failed to provide sufficient answers regarding its safety management protocols and the true nature of the ill-fated “peace study” trip.
On March 16, two small vessels — the Heiwamaru and the Fukutsu — capsized off the coast of Henoko in Nago City. The accident claimed the lives of 17-year-old Tomoka Takeishi, a second-year student at Doshisha International High School, and 71-year-old captain Hajime Kanai. Over a dozen other students were violently thrown into the sea.
The boats were operated by the Helicopter Base Opposition Council, an activist organization actively protesting the relocation of a U.S. military base to Henoko.
The Heiwamaru and the Fukutsu capsized off the coast of Henoko in Nago City on March 16 (X)
Despite multiple written inquiries from MEXT demanding to know why teenagers were placed on political protest vessels with questionable safety standards, authorities say the school’s responses have remained evasive and unsatisfactory.
Investigators will now directly probe the school’s crisis management manuals, the educational justification for utilizing activist-operated boats, and whether parents were properly informed of the risks involved in the excursion.
The tragic deaths have sparked widespread outrage over the school’s curriculum, with critics questioning why students were exposed to hazardous conditions on the water under the guise of volunteerism and peace education.
The activist group has since posted an apology online, stating they will dedicate themselves to “apology and atonement,” though the government’s scrutiny of Doshisha’s administration is only just beginning.
AloJapan.com