Japan and Corporal Punishment

I read a couple of disturbing stories in the Japanese media recently, both involving cases of abuse against school kids.

The first, from a week ago, was particularly tragic.  It told the story of a high school basketball player in Osaka who killed himself after enduring repeated beatings from his coach.  Apparently, the boy was the star of the team and his coach was trying to "send a message" to the other players by singling him out:

http://www.japantoday.com/category/opinions/view/japans-ambivalence-toward-corporal-punishment

The second report was simply bizarre.  A middle school teacher in Aichi (north of Tokyo) forced some students to drink acid after they failed to complete an experiment:

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/students-forced-to-drink-diluted-acid-as-punishment-at-aichi-school

It's difficult to imagine that this type of physical abuse goes on today and Japan is certainly not the only place where coaches and teachers use violence and/or intimidation to make a point.  But my sense is it's more widespread in Japan than anywhere else.

There remains a cultural notion in this country that one must experience pain to find success.  It's the old samurai mentality.  Pro athletes are driven to the bring of exhaustion and it's common for baseball player to put in full day workouts before playing games later in the evening.   Pitchers are expected to throw hard between starts unlike pros in North America who rest their arms.

I have witnessed baseball coaches here abusing players myself.  I saw one coach, a large man, kneel down on the legs of a kid who was not taking stretching exercises seriously.  The coach got off the boy's legs only after the kid howled in pain.

My son plays Little League and I once saw a coach shove a bat into a player's midsection during a workout and later kicked another kid on the backside - albeit lightly.  (My son left that team shortly afterwards).

Fortunately, authorities in Japan appear to be cracking down on this type of abuse.  Various baseball coaches are suspended each year for violence against players or for not cracking down on incidents between teammates.

But really, it's up to the coaches themselves to get a grip and stop believing that violence and intimidation are the only ways to motivate players.  How many young people have to be lost before the message hits home?