The Japan Basketball Association decided on Thursday not to restore a former high school teacher's coaching license, saying he has not shown full remorse for administering physical punishment that resulted in a student's suicide.
In December 2012, a 17-year-old student and basketball team captain at Osaka's Sakuranomiya Senior High School took his own life after being subjected to around a dozen beatings for his mistakes during training matches several days earlier.
The incident sparked a movement to address violence and abuse of power in sports in Japan.
The teacher had admitted to the daily beatings, and the local education board dismissed him in February 2013 for beating the team members regularly. In October of that year, he was convicted of causing injury.
While his basketball coaching license was revoked by the JBA in June 2013, the association's provisions allow for requesting a restoration of the license after 10 years. The man applied in February of this year.
The JBA's arbitration committee, comprised of three outside lawyers, examined materials provided by the former teacher and interviewed members of the bereaved family.
The committee found that the man had cornered the student before beating him and that he hardly offered any apology or showed deep remorse after he was dismissed.
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