TOKYO -- The district court here on March 19 invalidated the forced resignation of a university professor over alleged sexual misconduct toward a female student after finding that she had coerced him into the acts in question, and ordered the school to pay him unpaid wages.

According to the ruling, the former professor hugged the student, lay down with her and placed his hand inside her underwear in a lab at Tokyo Kasei University between April and August 2022. That December, the university took disciplinary action against the professor in the form of recommended resignation, and he accordingly submitted a notice of resignation.

The ruling stated that "given this was a relationship between professor and student, the former professor should have handled the situation more resolutely." However, the presiding judge acknowledged that the student had sent messages to the professor including one stating, "Be my slave forever," and furthermore had threatened to report him to the university if he did not submit to her demands for hugs.

Moreover, it was determined that the student had put demands such as "hugging and lying together in the lab once a month" and "going on a date outdoors every two months," into writing and had the former professor sign this document.

The court also acknowledged that when the former professor sought to end the relationship, the student sent him the "slave" message, and concluded that there were considerable circumstances to be considered in the former professor's favor. The court thus deemed the disciplinary measure too severe.

(Japanese original by Ran Kanno, Tokyo City News Department)