![A middle school in Japan. This image is not directly related to the article. [Getty Images]](https://wimg.heraldcorp.com/news/cms/2026/08/20/news-p.v1.20260820.2183327de1e844c8b79705fcde39f8af_P1.jpg)
A high school teacher in Japan has been dismissed after he was caught secretly urinating into a student's water bottle.
The Gunma Prefecture board of education, in the country's northwest, dismissed the male teacher in his 20s on Tuesday, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun. The teacher had been employed at a prefectural high school.
An investigation found that the teacher urinated into a student's water bottle while on duty at the school on May 28.
The student noticed something was wrong with the bottle and alerted a guardian, who then reported the incident to the school and police. The teacher was referred to prosecutors on charges of property destruction.
Appearing before the board of education, the teacher said he had not targeted a specific student. "It was impulsive," he said.
The victim suffered mental distress and a decline in physical health severe enough to miss school on multiple occasions. The student's gender was not disclosed to protect the victim's identity.
The same board of education also dismissed another male teacher in his 20s — a temporary employee at a prefectural high school — who had been caught secretly filming a female high school student at Yokohama Station in Yokohama.
The board had previously dismissed three teachers in March on charges including sexual misconduct against a female middle school student.
jshan@heraldcorp.com
