With the new school year upon us, many people will be taking on new challenges, such as studying for higher education or qualification exams. This time, Bankisha! anchor Masu Taichi interviewed the only "junior high school inside a prison" in the country. The study time is about 10 hours a day. He observed the year that the inmates spend until graduation. Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture - Masu: "This is Matsumoto Juvenile Prison, where I am visiting today. Surprisingly, there is a residential area right in front of you." Masu looked up as he walked along the wall surrounding the premises. The height of the wall, which is 5 meters, tells us that the inmates are here. The inmates are mainly men aged 16 or older and under 26 who have committed crimes. In particular, those who have committed repeated crimes are gathered here at Matsumoto Juvenile Prison, where they perform prison work every day. And in a building inside the prison called the Education Building, there was what Masu was aiming for that day. Chief Warden Yamamoto: "Come in." After being guided by Chief Warden Yamamoto Takuya, Masu exclaimed as he looked up the stairs. Masu: "Wow! What an unexpected sight. I see!" Chief Warden Yamamoto: "This is Asahimachi Junior High School Kiri Branch." Masu: "I found the entrance to the school in an unexpected place." Asahimachi Junior High School Kiri Branch is the only junior high school in Japan that is located "inside walls." There is a locked door on the upper floors of the building, and beyond that is the school area. Masu: "Ah! It's a school. It suddenly becomes clear that it's a school. It's like this is another world." There are currently three students. Two are in their 30s and one is in his 50s, and all of them are inmates. Masu: "What kind of students are you selecting, and what are the criteria?" Warden Yamamoto: "We advertise to prisons across the country, and select people who submit a book of questions like an entrance exam, their motivation for applying, and who are truly in need of a junior high school education." There are no age restrictions, and emphasis is placed on the attitude towards life in prison and a strong desire to learn. Even if you have completed compulsory education, you can enroll if you have a strong desire to study again. The aim is for prisoners to look at themselves through learning and cultivate a spirit of self-reflection. When Masu visited, a Japanese class was taking place in the classroom. The teacher was a prison officer. Teacher: "This is the hypothesis." Student: "Yes." Teacher: "That's the important part." Student: "Yes." And when he came across a passage about cicada larvae... Teacher: "They get nutrients from the roots of plants and grow for about seven years. I knew that, everyone." Students: "No, I didn't." Students: "So they're not sleeping." Masu, who was standing at the back of the classroom watching this, couldn't help but exclaim in surprise, "Wow! They're very proactive in their interactions." Teacher: "I didn't know that either. It's interesting, isn't it?" Students: "Yes." Masu: "It's rare to see a class where the teacher and students communicate so well. They take notes right away. You can really feel their passion for learning." Classes are seven hours a day, starting at 8 a.m., except on weekends. There are no summer or winter holidays, and in one year they learn three years' worth of junior high school curriculum. Unlike regular inmates, they don't do prison work, and they study every day. Next, Masu observed a social studies class. While discussing the "New Word and Popular Phrase Award," a student in his 50s asked, looking at the word "Animal Crossing" written on the board. Student (50s): "Excuse me, can I just say something? What is 'Animal Crossing'?" Teacher: "It's a game. It's called 'Animal Crossing: New Horizons.'" Student (50s): "And you shorten it to 'Animal Crossing'? Is it popular?" Teacher: "Yes." Student (50s): "Wow, I didn't know that." The joy of learning something new filled the class with energy. ◇ This Asahimachi Junior High School Kiri Branch was founded in 1955 so that illiterate inmates could use their learning to help them return to society. Many of the students who enroll are inmates who have committed serious crimes and served long sentences in prison. Hoshino Ryoki, the homeroom teacher, said, "I think that learning and acquiring academic skills will help them to live less difficultly when they are released and reintegrate into society. By acquiring basic academic skills, all the things that were scattered inside of you will suddenly come together to complete the whole picture of a puzzle, and your academic ability will improve dramatically in the latter half of the sentence." At lunch, they eat school lunch in the classroom. The menu is the same as the other inmates. On this day, they had soup, bread rolls, and croquettes. Students: "Thank you for the meal." The scene is no different from the school lunch scene. Masu: "The only clear difference is that the school instructor has very sharp eyes and is staring intently at the food. This is different from a normal school." It's easy to forget when you see them in the classroom, but they are inmates serving time for crimes. All three have committed serious crimes that will prevent them from returning to society for many years to come. The favorite words they wrote in calligraphy class reflected the thoughts they faced through their studies. Student (30s): "The present is the result of the past, but it is also the cause of the future." Teacher: "Why that message?" Student (30s): "I don't think you can change the past, but I don't think the past and the future are equal. I think if you do something now, there will be something different from the past, a future." Masu asked a student in his 30s who had applied to this school to fill the gap he had left after being unable to attend junior high school due to not attending school. Masu: "The words you wrote on the colored paper today really resonated with me, and this may be a tough question, but have you always felt the need to face up to the past while you were studying?" Student (30s): "That's right. It's something that can't be changed, but it's something that shouldn't be forgotten. This time, by me being arrested, I'm causing trouble not only for the victim, but for many others too. I've caused my family a lot of grief and disappointment, so I don't want to let that happen again." It was just before 9pm, as the lights were about to go out. The students continued their own learning in a solitary room in the same building as the other prisoners. A student in his 50s said, "When the teacher teaches me, I understand and feel happy, like, 'I did it!' It's an emotion I've never felt before." A student in his 30s said, "No matter what I learn, it doesn't take anything away from me. Rather, I think it will be a positive thing for me in the future." The students continued their three hours of self-study every day, even after lights out. There was no heating. They even wore work gloves to keep out the cold. Having learned the value of learning, the students will return to their respective prisons this spring after completing their year of learning. ◇ On this day, about one month before their graduation ceremony, the students of Asahimachi Junior High School Kiri Branch were heading to a certain place. It was the main campus of Asahimachi Junior High School. It was a special event where they visited a regular junior high school. The purpose is to encourage the students to reflect on their own mistakes and rehabilitate themselves through interaction with junior high school students. Surrounded by prison guards, they moved around and observed a physical education class before the exchange meeting. Of course, they were not allowed to walk around freely or talk to regular students. And then, the exchange meeting was held in the gymnasium. The student who hosted the meeting said, "The branch school students are entering. Let's welcome them with a big round of applause." The three branch school students went up to the stage, greeted by 100 third-year students who will soon be graduating, just like the Kiri branch school students. The student who hosted the meeting said, "We will now begin the exchange meeting between the Kiri branch school students and our school students." The student who hosted the meeting said, "Hello, branch school students. Welcome to our school. Let's make memories together through music." At the exchange meeting, the students of our school first performed a chorus for the branch school students. Perhaps they were looking back on their own pasts, but in fact, many inmates say that these exchanges have led them to face their crimes more deeply. The student who hosted the song said, "Now, I'd like to let all the students of the branch school listen to the song." A student from the branch school (in his 50s) said, "I'll sing it with all my heart. 'On the Day of Departure.' Please listen." The three students from the branch school began to sing along with the piano. The students from our school sat on the floor listening intently. Then, when they finished singing the first verse and were about to start the second verse, all 100 students from our school stood up and started singing the second verse together. It was a surprise from the students of our school. A student (in his 30s) said, "I thought I would be treated like an outsider. But I felt like I was one of our grade, or that I was included in the group, so I'll never forget it." The students from the branch school responded to the surprise by singing to the best of their ability with tears in their eyes. A student (in his 30s) said, "Thank you so much for welcoming us, the students of the branch school, today." The student (in his 30s) was choked with tears and continued. A student (30s): "I didn't expect to be welcomed like this, so I'm overwhelmed with emotion. It may be presumptuous of me to say this from my position, but there's one thing I want to say to you all. Don't waste your life like I did. You can't turn back time. Look to the future, and live this moment to the fullest, happily, and seriously. And I sincerely hope that you will create a life that makes the people you care about smile. Thank you very much for today." After the exchange meeting, our students said the following. Our student: "There were several words that touched my heart, so much so that I almost cried." Our student: "I really felt that I want to cherish every day so that I don't waste my life." And then in early March. The graduation ceremony of the Kiri Branch School. After one year of junior high school life, the students were given the qualification to complete compulsory education. On this day, the students returned to their respective prisons and continued to face their crimes as ordinary inmates. (From "The Truth Report Bankisha!" broadcast on April 2, 2023) #prison #middle school #inmates #NTV #The Truth Report Bankisha #news00:00 Matsumoto Juvenile Prison: the only "middle school inside a prison" in the country01:32 There are only three students... Asahimachi Junior High School Kiri Branch04:55 Lunchtime05:42 The words written in calligraphy class...07:12 Self-study continues even after lights out08:11 Special event to visit Asahimachi Junior High School's main campus13:11 Graduation ceremony at Kiri Branch◇Nippon TV News Bureau social media Facebook / ntvnews24 Instagram https://www.instagram.com/ntv_news24/... TikTok / ntv.news Twitter / news24ntv ◇【Latest news LIVE broadcast】NTV NEWS HP https://news.ntv.co.jp 2023/6/13 Community post2023/9/5 Community Posts