Investigators have concluded that a fourth-grade elementary-school boy from Tomigusuku City, who hanged himself at home and died nine days later in a hospital in October last year, was a victim of bullying. Although no suicide note was found, the boy reportedly had told to his parents about being bullied at school.

A third-party committee that the Tomigusuku Board of Education had set up to investigate the case, had said at a board meeting on Dec. 24th last year that a direct link to the apparent bullying case leading to the suicide had not been confirmed.

According to persons familiar with the case, the boy had complained about being bullied on the school’s regular written questionnaire about bullying. However the document was discovered only after his suicide.

His class teacher is believed to have missed the student’s note, and reportedly told to the committee that, “I did not realize that the boy had been bullied at school before double-checking his complaints in the questionnaire.”

The school is scheduled to hold a meeting for parents to explain the case today, and the city board of education will follow with a press conference on Wednesday.

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