Teacher Slapped On Wrist Over Child Prostitution

Originally published in the Mainichi Shimbun, July 18, 2002

KYOTO — A teacher was found guilty on Thursday of breaking child prostitution laws by paying schoolgirls to perform indecent acts with him but was handed a suspended prison sentence.

The teacher, Shinji Yamashita, 36, was sentenced to 18 months imprisonment, but avoided jail after the Kyoto District Court suspended the sentence for three years.

In handing down the ruling on Yamashita, Judge Yasuhide Narasaki criticized the educator's actions. "Despite being a high school teacher, he repeated crimes to fulfill his sexual desires, and he bears a great responsibility for the impact he had on society," Narasaki said.

According to the ruling, Yamashita performed indecent acts with a 13-year-old junior high school girl and a 16-year-old high school girl in a hotel between February and March last year despite knowing that they were under 18.

In total he paid as many as 100 junior high and high school girls to perform indecent acts with him, the court heard.