TOKYO -- A confidential file documenting the bullying of a sixth-grade boy at the elementary school attached to the University of Tsukuba here was seen by at least three other students after what officials called "severe ineptitude in information management," sources close to the matter have revealed.

The boy had already given up on advancing to Tsukuba University's affiliated junior high school after his homeroom teacher allegedly ignored his bullying claims.

The leak occurred immediately after the school became aware of the bullying and before questionnaires and interviews with students were conducted, raising parental concerns that students could coordinate their stories. In July 2024, the elementary school in Tokyo's Bunkyo Ward and Tsukuba University apologized to the boy's parents, acknowledging the "ineptitude" in handling the information.

According to sources and the school, the leak happened in early January 2024. The boy had stopped attending school, and his father informed the principal that his son would not sit for exams to advance internally to the affiliated junior high. In response, the homeroom teacher compiled a document on the bullying and saved it on a school computer.

At the elementary school, different teachers handle different subjects, and the homeroom teacher sometimes left their computer in the classroom so the next instructor can conduct online classes for absent children. Students were also given the computer login password for classroom-related activities, meaning they could access files when the teacher was absent.

The leak emerged during March 2024 interviews with students about the bullying, when one student admitted to having "looked at the document on the (homeroom teacher's) computer." The school's investigation confirmed that three students had viewed the document on the bullying incident though there may have been more.

By the time the school investigated, the document had been deleted. However, it is believed that the document was a draft for the "school incidents and accidents" report submitted to Tsukuba University on Jan. 12, 2024. It may have included parents' names, occupations, a timeline of events leading to the bullying, and details of meetings between the teacher and parents.

According to Tsukuba University, the devices assigned to each student are low-spec, so the children used school computers for video editing and other schoolwork. The homeroom teacher reportedly also assigned some students tasks like setting up Zoom for remote classes and entering passwords to unlock the computer from sleep mode.

Taiji Oshiro, deputy director of the university's affiliated schools bureau, told the Mainichi Shimbun, "There was an information management failure, as the homeroom teacher allowed students to carry and set up the computer for remote lessons. It was sloppy and inappropriate." Details regarding disciplinary action taken against the teacher were not disclosed for staff privacy reasons.

A third-party committee, established in May 2024 after the bullying was recognized as serious, is currently investigating the boy's case. The boy's mother expressed anger, fearing that the information leak may have hindered the investigation, saying, "How can such a thing happen at a school reputed to be offering the best education in Japan?"

(Japanese original by Sahomi Nishimoto, Tokyo City News Department)