In October last year at a public school in Okazaki City, Aichi Prefecture, the school principal taste-tested the day’s school lunch in advance in the staff room and noticed that it had a peculiar odor and discoloration.
At this point, he stopped the serving of the lunch.
The food was submitted to the public health center for examination. The results confirmed that it contained E. coli bacteria.
A subsequent investigation led to a staff member, a female employee in her twenties working at this school, though it is unclear what her motive was or how she managed to mix the excrement into the food.
She was charged on June 13 with fraudulent obstruction of business, alleging that she mixed excrement with the school lunch for the staff room.
She denies the charge.
It’s not done in all schools, but in Japan there is a custom of a principal or vice principal eating lunch about 30 minutes before everyone else.
