A 60-year-old female teacher at a primary school in Kochi, Japan, asked the whole class to spank a pupil after he turned a deaf ear to her demands. The poor student was enrolled in a special class, but had joined a regular homeroom at the end of the school day.

One day last month when the 8-year-old child failed to obey her order to sit down, she asked the other children to give him a spanking. Most of the pupils playfully stroked and tapped him on the rear, but one pupil reportedly slapped across the face.

When his parents heard what had happened, they complained to the teacher. After she reported the complaint the school, the case gained national exposure. The school later apologised over the incident and punished the teacher for her inappropriate behaviour.