Scandal-Hit ‘Inclusive’ Tokyo School Files Suit Against Parents Association and Reporter After Concerns Raised Over New Chairman

By Barrier Free Japan

April 17 2025

TOKYO – On April 15th, Musashino Higashi Gakuen, an educational corporation based in Tokyo renowned for its inclusive educational model, filed a lawsuit seeking 725.72 million yen in damages. The lawsuit names several defendants, including individuals affiliated with an association purporting to protect the school, parents and guardians of graduates from its advanced vocational school, along with a reporter from the ‘Weekly Bunshun.’

Musashino Higashi Gakuen is an educational corporation based in Tokyo that operates two kindergartens, an elementary school, a junior high school, and a higher vocational school. The institution is recognized for its inclusive education model, where children with and without autism learn side by side.

In February 2024, a newly appointed Chairman triggered the resignation of multiple teachers. The institution provided only limited explanations to parents, raising concerns among some guardians. Then, in February 2025, reports emerged that a female student at the vocational high school had been expelled after expressing opposition to the new Chairman—a decision the school later reversed.

The lawsuit claims defamation over false information reportedly provided to the ‘Weekly Bunshun’. The amount claimed includes 33 million yen specifically for damages to the current Chairman of the Board and the school has indicated that the total amount of damages sought may increase.