The Hyogo Prefectural Board of Education on Wednesday dismissed a 30-year-old male teacher at Shikama Elementary School in Himeji after he had sex with two girls in their teens he met on social media, among other acts. The board also fired a 32-year-old male deputy section chief at the prefectural Tatsuno High School who forged doctors' notes to take paid sick leave.
The teacher was arrested by Nara prefectural police in July on suspicion of violating the prefecture's youth protection ordinance and the law banning child pornography, and was indicted in August. The board did not say how the two girls were identified or how long the conduct had gone on.
The dismissals were announced together. In the second case, the board said the Tatsuno High School official altered the dates and periods on 11 doctors' notes stating he needed to recuperate at home for an adjustment disorder — a stress-related condition — and improperly took 18 days of paid sick leave.
The forgeries came to light in July, when the school asked the doctor about the notes and found that documents already submitted to the school did not exist. The official had been absent from October 2024 through the end of July this year, according to the board.