{
  "id": 10877950,
  "title": "Hokkaido Univ. council committed 'organizational academic harassment': investigation",
  "url": "https://urgent.news/2026/09/30/hokkaido-univ-council-committed-organizational-academic-harassment",
  "topic": "world",
  "section": "World",
  "published": "2026-09-30T06:28:01.000Z",
  "source": {
    "name": "The Mainichi",
    "slug": "the-mainichi",
    "url": "https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20260930/p2a/00m/0na/011000c"
  },
  "original_language": "en",
  "account": "Hokkaido University's professors' council has been found to have committed organizational academic harassment towards several associate professors in the Faculty of Science's chemistry division, according to a recent investigation. The associate professors had complained about being systematically isolated by the council. Several professors are believed to have been disciplined in response, but the university has not disclosed the investigation results or disciplinary measures taken.\n\nThe associate professors alleged that they were treated as \"former staff,\" with no new students assigned to work with them and their offices moved. One associate professor was reportedly placed in a \"banishment room\" for up to four years, forced to conduct research entirely alone. In September 2024, several associate professors requested the university's harassment consultation office to investigate the council's actions, which they characterized as organizational power harassment.\n\nThe harassment prevention office, led by university executives, commissioned a separate investigative committee to look into the matter. The investigation found that in 2020, the council had decided to move the offices of the \"former staff\" and not assign students to them. Despite receiving complaints, the committee did not review their treatment or assign students afterward. The investigation concluded that the council's actions amounted to organizational academic harassment, as they aimed to force tenured former staff out of their laboratories against their will, which was deemed improper.\n\nThe committee also violated the research rights of one associate professor by transferring them from one laboratory to another. Hokkaido University has disciplined members of the council involved in the issue since the finding. Chisato Kitanaka, an associate professor at Hiroshima University's harassment consultation office, considers this a groundbreaking investigation, as the university stepped into departmental autonomy. This case is believed to be the first of its kind in Japan.",
  "summary": "SAPPORO -- Hokkaido University's harassment prevention office determined in July that actions taken by a professors' council toward several associate",
  "key_points": [
    "Hokkaido University professors' council found guilty of organizational academic harassment",
    "Associate professors allege systematic isolation, office moves, and banishment",
    "Investigation concludes actions improper, university disciplines council members"
  ],
  "editors_take": null,
  "illustration": null,
  "coverage": {
    "outlets": 1,
    "also_reported_by": []
  },
  "ai_generated": true,
  "disclaimer": "Summaries, key points and the editor’s take are written by software from other outlets’ reporting and may contain errors — always check the linked original."
}