I have been deeply involved in fighting for the rights of many of my classmates from ASIJ. They were victimized, sodomized and some even raped while at my high school by a supposedly esteemed teacher Jack Moyer. He was renowned for marine biology discoveries and programs set up to teach marine biology on Miyake Island. It was revealed little by little that he had been molesting girls for years and the administration knew it and did nothing. The Japan Times released an article in May of 2013, detailing his "alleged" crimes. ASIJ responded saying they would start an independent investigation and then.. deafening silence. With the anniversary of the article approaching in 2014, I spear-headed a Call to Action, asking alumni to flood the ASIJ board of directors with heartfelt emails. This was the etegami I posted at that time.
It did force the board to finally speak. But what they said was egregious and hurtful. It blamed the stall in "negotiations" on the women had been harmed saying that they were demanding unattainable financial demands. We know this was not true. This prompted many of the Survivors to come forward and be publicly known. They bravely showed their own honesty and transparency.
But still...nothing.
I was interviewed by the Japan Times
There seems to be a feeling that "hey, we didn't do this. The guy that did it is dead. The administration that covered it up is mostly gone. Let's move on". (Jack Moyer committed suicide in 2004 after writing a detailed confession). I was thinking of the Catholic church and how it was not their fault that the church condemned Galileo and yet... 500 years lately, they apologized for the wrong. A more current example is Wal Mart apologizing to Tracey Morgan for an accident involving one of their truck drivers. This has Tracey singing Wal Mart's praises.
An apology. We're sorry. How hard is that???
So someone said,"how long are they going to keep their heads hidden in the sand?"
If you want to read the whole story of this saga, pleas go to http://www.asij1968.com/asij_stuff_jmt.aspx
UPDATE: Just a few days after I posted the ostrich, word came that the newly elected ASIJ board had finally issued an apology for the cover-up. Thirty years of cover up. Finally.
Once again, I can be proud to be an ASIJ graduate
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