It is time for Japan to change the idea that use of violence in sports including physical discipline is a valid way of coaching

hmmm... so doesn't sound it was sexual harassment or anything untoward of that nature. Am I reading that right?
It sounds like it was about 'training methods' only?!? What does 'power harassment' mean? A few good smacks of the shinai?

nomoremondays wrote:hmmm... so doesn't sound it was sexual harassment or anything untoward of that nature. Am I reading that right?
It sounds like it was about 'training methods' only?!? What does 'power harassment' mean? A few good smacks of the shinai?

The OP might provide more info and a few examples ... but consider that the ladies of the Japanese team are ... well, Japanese ... and the threshold to make such a complaint is quite high. I suspect it was something a bit more abusive.

Plus ... what anyone ever thought a whack with the shinai was going to do to improve the performance of an elite athlete ... or to even an average, cannon-fodder player ... that is beyond me. Not touchy-feely-want-my-mommy kind of stuff, I don't think it is a sound, modern, scientific tactic.

Uhm, to the best of my knowledge his name is Sonoda Ryûji, not Kenji.


Also, this is from Wikipedia:

2012年末、ロンドン五輪の柔道に出場した日本代表を含む国内女子選手15人が、五輪に向けた強化合宿などで同監督やコーチによる暴力やパワーハラスメントがあったと日本オリンピック委員会に告発。これを受け、日本柔道連盟倫理委員会が、自身による聞き取り調査をし、その結果としてこの訴えがほぼ事実と確認されたため、同委員会が2013年1月19日に園田監督と元強化コーチに戒告処分を言い渡している.

In the end of 2012, 15 female players including the Japanese Olympic representative(s) reported to the JOC that during a pre-Olympic training camp, the kantoku (overseer) and coach(es?) had been exercising violence and "Power Harassment" (more or less analogous to the English "abuse of authority" and seems to be primarily a non-physical form of bullying). As a result of this, the JOC started an investigation concluding that the details reported on were "mostly true", and on that basis some form of admonition measures was taken against Sonoda and the other coach(es?) on Jan 19th.



On a totally unrelated matter, the second suggestion on Google when inputting Sonoda's name in Japanese is "Sonoda Ryûji + cute". WTF?

First the Uchishiba scandal, followed by the numerous deaths during judo practice than the embarrassing performances during the Olympic Games and now this.
The last 2 years haven't been good for the Japanese judo community. I hope that they will rebound form all these issues.

Please read the full article: http://sports.inquirer.net/84603/japanese-female-olympic-judo-athletes-beaten-by-coaches

All Japan Judo Federation apologizes....



Secret's out: All Japan Judo Federation senior director Koshi Onozawa (right) apologizes at a news conference Wednesday in Tokyo over head coach Ryuji Sonoda's harassment and physical violence targeting top female athletes.

| KYODO
NATIONAL / SOCIAL ISSUES
Judo federation apologizes for abuse
15 top female athletes were harassed, struck by head coach
KYODO
JAN 30, 2013
The All Japan Judo Federation issued an apology Wednesday, admitting to allegations that 15 of its top female athletes were subjected to harassment and physical violence by head coach Ryuji Sonoda and other coaching staff.

“This is something that never should have happened,” said judo federation senior director Koshi Onozawa at a press conference held at the Kodokan in Tokyo’s Bunkyo Ward. “We will double efforts to make sure this never happens again.”
Sonoda, 39, and other coaching staff received an official warning in a letter in mid-January after being questioned by the judo federation.

The judo federation said it does not intend to release the names of the women or other coaches involved and at this juncture has no plan to replace Sonoda.

Asked by reporters if the public would find it acceptable to leave Sonoda in his current position as head coach, given the circumstances, Onozawa only replied, “We want the public to closely watch his performance and let him demonstrate his achievements.”

The incidents involving Sonoda first came to light last September, and after judoka were questioned he was ordered to write an apology and given a strict reprimand in November.

Onozawa said he believed the incidents had been “settled” after Sonoda apologized directly to the judoka involved, but the group of 15 whistle-blowers sent a written complaint to the Japanese Olympic Committee at the end of 2012.

“It is a given that athletes come first. We need to get a proper grip on the situation and train the trainers thoroughly,” said a senior JOC official.

The judoka complained in the document of being sworn at, slapped and hit with bamboo swords, while some were forced to compete in matches even though they were injured. That prompted them to ask the judo federation for an overhaul of the coaching staff, sources said.

It is rare for top athletes to make such a complaint as a group. The group included judoka who took part in last summer’s London Games, the sources said.

The judo federation said it has confirmed five cases occurred from August 2010 to February 2012, in which wrestlers were slapped, kicked or shoved.

Asked by reporters about the allegations, Sonoda replied, “Until now I have been doing things the way I saw fit, but I will mend the things that need fixing.”

The news comes on the heels of the December suicide of a 17-year-old high school student in Osaka after he was physically punished by the school’s basketball club coach. It was reported that the coach, who remains unidentified and as yet reportedly unpunished, repeatedly abused the victim as well as other members of the team.

The judoka complaint indicates that such violence is widespread even in top-level domestic sports.

The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry has ordered the JOC to investigate incidents of violence in the judo federation.

Sports minister Hakubun Shimomura has said that if true, the acts are “most deplorable.”

“Given the issue involving corporal punishment in Osaka, we will work to completely change the mindset in the sports world that justifies the use of violence,” Shimomura added, referring to the teenager’s suicide in Osaka.

##

THE JAPAN TIMES LTD. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED.

NBK NOTE: The reference to 'Osaka' is about the teenage basketball player who committed suicide after being physically bullied by his coach.

Am I the only one that noticed that this is a case of a grown man hitting and verbally abusing a woman? I did, my old man most certainly would have.

On that basis alone ... if true as written ... on that basis alone the guy should be fired ... with extreme prejudice. Forget all the stupid bowing and apologies.

BillC wrote:Am I the only one that noticed that this is a case of a grown man hitting and verbally abusing a woman? I did, my old man most certainly would have.

On that basis alone ... if true as written ... on that basis alone the guy should be fired ... with extreme prejudice. Forget all the stupid bowing and apologies.

Absolutely!

Konan wrote:First and last post...over and out

why??

come back.

BillC wrote:Am I the only one that noticed that this is a case of a grown man hitting and verbally abusing a woman? I did, my old man most certainly would have.

On that basis alone ... if true as written ... on that basis alone the guy should be fired ... with extreme prejudice. Forget all the stupid bowing and apologies.

definitely! they should get a woman senior instead who is in charge of that.

(is it) time for Japan to change the idea that use of violence in sports including physical discipline is a valid way of coaching

yes

(is it) time for Japan to change the idea that use of violence in judo including physical discipline is a valid way of (teaching)

no

*flame suit on*

http://www.japantoday.com/category/sports/view/olympic-judo-coach-to-quit-over-beating-claims

Olympic judo coach to quit over beating claims

TOKYO —
The judo coach who took Japan’s women to the London Olympics said Thursday he was resigning after allegations that he beat his athletes with bamboo swords.

Ryuji Sonoda offered an apology and a deep bow at a press conference. He said the claims made by a 15-strong group of judokas of physical punishment, including face-slapping, were “more or less true.”

Sonoda, a 39-year-old former world judo champion, told a press conference: “I would like to deeply apologize for causing trouble to all the athletes and people concerned with what I have done and said.”

“I think it will be difficult for me to continue being engaged in the training program any longer. I wish to submit my resignation to the judo federation.”

On Wednesday, the Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) said it had received a petition from a group of 15 women judokas who complained that they had been physically and verbally abused.

They said they were beaten with thick bamboo swords, like those used in the Japanese martial art of kendo, and were slapped and kicked by Sonoda and other coaches, according to the JOC and the All-Japan Judo Federation.

They also complained that some were forced to compete in matches while injured, reports said.

The case emerged weeks after a Japanese high school student killed himself following repeated physical abuse from his basketball coach. The incident provoked national debate over corporal punishment, widely seen as a way of life in various sports circles.

The 15 women turned to the JOC after the judo federation only reprimanded Sonoda and his staff but kept him on as head coach.

Judo is very popular in Japan and has been a rich source of Olympic medals in the past. However, the women’s haul from London was poor, with only one each of gold, silver and bronze.

Before Sonoda’s resignation, JOC president Tsunekazu Takeda said his organization would try to work out measures against physical punishment by improving the “long-existing nature of the sporting community”.

“It is regrettable that a new case has arisen,” Takeda, who also heads the Tokyo bid committee, told the education and sports minister.

Minister Hakubun Shimomura said the issue had to be resolved to avoid it contaminating Tokyo’s bid for the Games.

“We wish you to act promptly so as not to let the issue impact the bid to invite the 2020 Olympics and Paralympics to Tokyo.”

Former vice education and sports minister Kenshiro Matsunami told the daily Sports Nippon: “It is disappointing because domestic support for the Olympic bid is just beginning to rise.”

“People may feel disgusted about sport if it is proven that violence is also rampant at its top level.”

Any one know why TS edited his or her post?

It is time for a change, Mr Kano I thought taught discipline not physical punishment.
It is also the time for other judo nations to stop trying to emulate the Japanese way, it is clearly wrong. It is not just physical abuse that is wrong it is also verbal abuse, harrassment and bullying that are totally wrong. We need to get away from the idea that judo (or any sport) for that matter is about being @HARD@. WE need to get back to judo as the gentle way, that does not mean that you are soft. It just means that there are alternative ways to maximising the potential of any athlete.
British judo in particular needs to look long and hard at the way it treats its athletes at all levels.

Peahen wrote:It is time for a change, Mr Kano I thought taught discipline not physical punishment.
It is also the time for other judo nations to stop trying to emulate the Japanese way, it is clearly wrong. It is not just physical abuse that is wrong it is also verbal abuse, harrassment and bullying that are totally wrong. We need to get away from the idea that judo (or any sport) for that matter is about being @HARD@. WE need to get back to judo as the gentle way, that does not mean that you are soft. It just means that there are alternative ways to maximising the potential of any athlete.
British judo in particular needs to look long and hard at the way it treats its athletes at all levels.

Not sure Mama Hen that it is entirely accurate to say in every case that this is the "Japanese way." Pretty sure I know some high level programs in Japan ... at least one university program for sure ... where such behavior is viewed as a sad and backward anachronism. That said ... I have friends in Japan that no way, no how are going to let their kid anywhere near a judo dojo ... preferring instead to have them falling on the hardwood at the local shorinji kempo club.

My friend Maki-san, a civil rights attorney of a sort BTW, turned me on to this site before I saw it on the old judo forum ... http://judojiko.net/eng/

http://www.japantoday.com/category/sports/view/minister-calls-judo-beatings-japans-worst-sports-crisis

TOKYO —
Allegations that the national women’s judo coach used a bamboo sword to beat his athletes, including some Olympians, are the “gravest crisis” to hit Japanese sport, the education minister said Tuesday.

Former world champion Ryuji Sonoda resigned in humiliation last week after admitting that claims he had physically and emotionally abused 15 of the country’s top sportswomen were “more or less true.”

The explosive claims have rocked a nation accustomed to greatness in judo, and come as Tokyo seeks to persuade Olympic bosses it should be allowed to host the 2020 Games.

“The incident is the gravest crisis in Japan’s sporting history,” Education Minister Hakubun Shimomura told reporters.

“We should not shy away from the facts and should review not only judo but all sorts of sports to see whether they have overlooked violence in the name of achieving sporting excellence.

“This is the time that Japan can show both to those inside and outside the country that it has abandoned all violence in sports,” Shimomura said.

He said Japan’s many sporting associations each needed to set up a hotline for athletes who had concerns and should review the ways coaches are educated.

The scandal claimed another scalp Tuesday when Kazuo Yoshimura, the head of training at the All Japan Judo Federation, announced he was stepping down.

“I would like to make a heartfelt apology for my poor supervision,” he told a press conference

Acting women’s national head coach Masaru Tanabe on Tuesday vowed he would go all out to provide an opportunity for athletes “to be able to give their best performances,” as the team flew to Europe for an international competition.

In a sports policy conference held by the ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Tuesday, some participants expressed concerns about the scandal’s negative impact on Tokyo’s bid for the Olympics, public broadcaster NHK reported.

In an interview with AFP last Friday, Japanese Olympic Committee president Tsunekazu Takeda, who is also the Tokyo bid chief, rejected speculation the scandal could give a bad impression of sport in Japan.

He insisted the necessary changes were being made.

“In response to the problem, the head coach is being changed and I believe the judo federation will quickly move forward with its internal reform,” he said.

The 100-plus members of the International Olympic Committee will gather in Buenos Aires on Sept 7 to vote on which city—Madrid, Istanbul or Tokyo—should host the 2020 Games.

The bullying scandal added fuel to a debate over corporal punishment in Japan following the suicide of a schoolboy who had been repeatedly hit by his basketball coach.
---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Don't agree with the fact that this is the worst crisis of Japanese sports. I remember a couple of years ago a teenage sumo wrestlers being beaten to death by his coach.

http://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2013/02/05/national/judo-exec-who-hired-abusive-coach-resigns/#.URHy0_L_57Q

Judo exec who hired abusive coach resigns
Athletes want federation to be overhauled, not just token exits
KYODO

FEB 5, 2013

Haruki Uemura, president of the All Japan Judo Federation, said Tuesday he has accepted the resignation of board member Kazuo Yoshimura.

Yoshimura had appointed Ryuji Sonoda as the national women’s head coach in 2008. Sonoda, accused of physically abusing 15 top judoka in his charge, resigned last week.

“I thought it would be appropriate to resign as the head of athlete development within the federation,” Yoshimura said at a news conference.

The women’s team, including 78-kg London Olympian Akari Ogata and 48-kg world champion Haruna Asami, left for Paris on Tuesday for the Judo Grand Slam this weekend.

The athletes were shielded by federation officials at Narita International Airport and did not comment on what sports minister Hakubun Shimomura described earlier in the day as “the most serious crisis in Japan’s sports history.”

After the team departed, the federation announced the resignation of assistant coach Kazuhiko Tokuno, who returned to Japan, cutting short a trip to Europe.

The federation said Tokuno resigned because he admitted being involved in the abuse.

On Monday evening, a lawyer for the 15 elite female judoka who allege they were abused during Olympic training by Sonoda said the athletes want the federation to overhaul its entire staff, not just one coach.

Is this still the expectation for women's physical ed in Japan? With the sound on you can catch what I mean ...


There is no shortage of capable and articulate women ... http://www.judo-voj.com/contents/yamaguchi.html ... worth reading again.

"I believe that understanding the meaning and value of judo discipline
and having people around the world share that understanding is what will
lead to the further development of judo. What should the IJF do, and
what should the All Japan Federation’s role be? It appears to me that
judo has been racing headlong ever since President Viser took over.
People who keep running are important, but I have a feeling that people
who stop and look back are also important. If possible, I’d like to take
on a part in that role."

Speaking of capable and articulate women...

Judoka pressed to reveal themselves
KYODO
• FEB 8, 2013

The representative for 15 female judoka on the national team who have alleged physical and verbal abuse revealed Wednesday the victims are considering making their names public.

The complaint lodged by the athletes, some of whom competed at last year’s London Olympics, has led to the resignation of women’s team head coach Ryuji Sonoda, assistant coach Kazuhiko Tokuno and Kazuo Yoshimura, the All Japan Judo Federation’s head of development.

“Looking at it from the standpoint of logic, we understand it would be odd to keep their names anonymous forever,” said the athletes’ representative, Nobuyoshi Tsujiguchi. “There will be discussion about whether to make their names public. It is something that must be considered.”

Seiko Hashimoto, a former Olympic speed skater and cyclist and a current Diet lawmaker and executive board member of the Japanese Olympic Committee, questioned the logic behind concealing the names of the judoka.

“How does it look if an overzealous attempt to protect individuals’ privacy keeps their names from appearing?” Hashimoto asked at an Upper House session. “That is a big problem. There is a heavy responsibility to be borne for various complaints over many years.”

On Wednesday, the JOC’s special committee on women’s sports, which received the athletes’ complaint in December, reported on some of the details in the document.
“We are taking the complaint very seriously,” said committee Chairman Kaori Yamaguchi, a former world judo champion. “If there is some way to protect the careers of the athletes, then I think their names can be made public. Many of the 15 women are still competing and this could affect their careers. I think that the way things are now, (identifying them) is premature.”

The chief of the All Japan Judo Federation, Haruki Uemura, stressed that he is not interested in discovering who has alleged what in the complaint, saying, “If someone wants to come forward of her own free will, that’s fine, but I don’t want to go hunting for people’s names.”

Uemura rejected the idea that the federation is half-hearted in its promotion of women, claiming, “We will have a female director before long.”

The federation’s directors will stand for re-election in June 2014. The body’s 59 trustees include the first woman selected for that position.

Uemura is set to join other members of the International Judo Federation at the Paris Grand Slam this weekend.

“For the founding nation (of judo), this has been bad news,” he said. “I want to explain things so as not to hold back the Olympic bid (for the 2020 Games).”
“We may not be able to wipe away the negative image, but it’s my desire to ask for help (from the IJF) in limiting the damage,” he said.

Uemura will deliver a message from Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Minister Hakubun Shimomura to IJF President Marius Vizer.

In Paris, the national judo team held its first practice ahead of this weekend’s Paris Grand Slam with the women’s squad training under interim coach Masaru Tanabe.
“It went the same as usual, the same as always,” Tanabe said of the practice.

“I can’t say there hasn’t been any impact (from the scandal). But looking strictly at the adjustments they are making, everyone is doing what needs to be done. They look to be in good form.”

Yamaguchi, the JOC’s special committee head, said a key issue was insufficient trust: “A relationship of trust based on mutual respect between athlete and coach is indispensable. Some of that was missing."

*************

Note: I do not want to derail the thread, but I found the comment by Uemura that "We will have a female director before long." fascinating.
I wonder if this is just lip service, or if they're actually considering letting a female head the All Japan Judo Federation. If so: who could that person be? The aforementioned Yamaguchi Kaori? Tamura Ryoko? (or the dark horse Higashihara Aki, whose skills in jûdô are unknown and maybe less relevant than her looks, but surely being the wife of Inoue Kosei she must have learned a thing or two )

A great competitor does not always make a great coach, or for that matter leader. On the other hand, Ryoko Tani Tamura could not but command respect as a known 'name' both domestically and internationally - to say nothing of with the players.

The political party to which she was affiliated when she retired from judo seems to have gone away, and she has moved on to another. I wonder if she would see this as an opportune time to leave politics?

cuivien wrote:Note: I do not want to derail the thread, but I found the comment by Uemura that "We will have a female director before long." fascinating.
I wonder if this is just lip service, or if they're actually considering letting a female head the All Japan Judo Federation. If so: who could that person be? The aforementioned Yamaguchi Kaori? Tamura Ryoko? (or the dark horse Higashihara Aki, whose skills in jûdô are unknown and maybe less relevant than her looks, but surely being the wife of Inoue Kosei she must have learned a thing or two )

I think you mistake the term 'director' for 'managing director'.

The All Japan Judo Federation has over twenty directors - not a single woman. Uemura kancho is the chairman.


The directors form the 'directors' group' and then the various operational committees.

I believe that he is saying that some woman will become one of the 20-some odd directors, not being in charge of the whole show.

NBK wrote:

cuivien wrote:Note: I do not want to derail the thread, but I found the comment by Uemura that "We will have a female director before long." fascinating.
I wonder if this is just lip service, or if they're actually considering letting a female head the All Japan Judo Federation. If so: who could that person be? The aforementioned Yamaguchi Kaori? Tamura Ryoko? (or the dark horse Higashihara Aki, whose skills in jûdô are unknown and maybe less relevant than her looks, but surely being the wife of Inoue Kosei she must have learned a thing or two )

I think you mistake the term 'director' for 'managing director'.

The All Japan Judo Federation has over twenty directors - not a single woman. Uemura kancho is the chairman.

AJJF Leadership

The directors form the 'directors' group' and then the various operational committees.

AJJF Organization

I believe that he is saying that some woman will become one of the 20-some odd directors, not being in charge of the whole show.

Ahh, that makes more sense. I couldn't wrap my head around the massive change a female kaicho, or even a fukukaicho would represent...

BillC wrote:Am I the only one that noticed that this is a case of a grown man hitting and verbally abusing a woman? I did, my old man most certainly would have.

On that basis alone ... if true as written ... on that basis alone the guy should be fired ... with extreme prejudice. Forget all the stupid bowing and apologies.

I agree whole-heartedly. He should be fired and the police should investigate and possibly lay charges, or whatever they call it in Japan. Better yet, the entire team should...well, that would be a bit hypocritical, wouldn't it?

Good for the women's judo team for bringing this to light! Wonder when the men will start to complain?

Ben