"Get out of Japan"... Flood of Criticism Toward High School with COVID-19 Cluster in Japan

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 24th, since the 9th, more than 80 calls criticizing the school and students have been made to Shonan High School, a private Rissho University-affiliated school in Matsue City, where the cumulative number of COVID-19 infections among soccer club members and others has exceeded 100. The photo shows the Shonan High School soccer club. Photo by YouTube capture.

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Kim Bong-ju] As cluster infections of the novel coronavirus (COVID-19) continue in school clubs in Japan, criticism is pouring in on internet communities and elsewhere.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun on the 24th, since the 9th, more than 100 cumulative COVID-19 infections, including soccer club members, have been reported at Rissho University Shonan High School, a private school located in Matsue City, and over 80 calls criticizing the school and students have been received.

Among the critical calls were messages such as "Get out of Japan" and "Destroy the school."

The main cause of the cluster infection is believed to be that most of the soccer club members lived together in a dormitory. The school apologized, saying "the countermeasures were insufficient," but also stated, "It is not the students' fault."

Criticism even extended to the school's official blog, which introduces students' lives. Comments such as "They are not even wearing masks and are spreading the virus" were posted under photos of the soccer club members on the blog.

The photos showed soccer club members congratulating baseball club members who won a baseball tournament held in Shimane Prefecture in July and August, outdoors.

As criticism surged, Shimane Prefecture took an unusual step on the 21st by notifying the Matsue Regional Legal Affairs Bureau and requesting deletion of the photos posted not only on the school blog but also on dozens of other websites, citing "concerns about human rights violations."

Concerned about the students being criticized, the school requested cooperation from the Shimane Prefecture Clinical Psychology and Licensed Psychological Nursing Association. It is reported that about 50 students requested counseling, saying they had difficulty sleeping.

Associate Professor Yasushi Fujii of Meisei University, a clinical psychologist, explained the explosion of criticism toward the cluster-infected school as "an outlet for accumulated frustration from COVID-19, directed at an easily understandable target?the cluster infection."

Fujii Yasushi added, "Students feel as if their entire personality is being denied because their club activities, which they have devoted themselves to, are being rejected. There is also a risk of trauma. We need to consider the impact of criticism."

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.