Seminar Information “Getting Children to Tell Us What Happened – Utilizing Forensic Interview Methods” will be held

[Seminar Information] “Getting Children to Tell Us What Happened – Utilizing Forensic Interview Methods” ​
Tokyo Human Rights Promotion Center, Public Interest Incorporated Foundation Press Release: September 8, 2025 “Getting Children to Tell Us What Happened – Utilizing Forensic Interview Methods” will be held. 1st Human Rights Awareness Leader Training Seminar of 2025 (Tokyo Human Rights Plaza)
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In recent years, school-wide efforts to prevent and detect bullying at an early stage have been expanding in accordance with the Act on Promotion of Measures to Prevent Bullying. However, according to a summary by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology for fiscal year 2023, the number of reported cases of bullying has reached a record high. The introduction of “forensic interviews” as a method for accurately eliciting information from children about what actually happened has been spreading in Japan in fields such as welfare and medical care, but it has not yet become widely adopted. By understanding the concepts behind forensic interviews, those involved in children’s education can hope to promote long-term mental and physical care for children who have been bullied, and to foster an environment and collaboration that will prevent future bullying. This seminar aims to create a system that enables schools to respond to bullying more effectively than ever before, and to lead to early detection.
1 Date and time September 23, 2025 (Tuesday/Holiday) From 14:00 to 16:30 (Doors open: 13:30) 2. Venue Tokyo Human Rights Plaza, 1st Floor Seminar Room Shiba 256 Square Building, 1st Floor, 2-5-6 Shiba, Minato-ku Access: https://www.tokyo-hrp.jp/access-main.html 3 How to hold the event Held in person or online (Zoom) 4. Course Content The “forensic interview” technique is gaining attention as a way to encourage children who have been bullied to speak the truth without putting them under mental stress. Because children are still in the developmental stage, they are easily influenced by adults’ statements, so ingenuity is required to hear them without distorting the facts. By understanding the techniques and structure of forensic interviews, which can be used to detect bullying at school early, this will be an opportunity to consider ways to deal with bullying victims that place greater emphasis on caring for children’s physical and mental health. What is a “Forensic Interview”? It is a method for getting children who have been victims of abuse, crime, or accidents to provide as much accurate information as possible without putting them under mental stress. The process involves building a friendly rapport, encouraging the child to speak freely, and asking questions about information not obtained through free reporting. 5 Instructor profile Makiko Naka (Special Assistant to the President of RIKEN) Received her PhD from Ochanomizu University in 1987. After serving as an associate professor at the Graduate School of Humanities, Tokyo Metropolitan University, and a professor at the Graduate School of Letters, Hokkaido
University, she became a professor emeritus at the same university in 2017. She has been a professor at Ritsumeikan University’s OIC Research Organization since 2021. She has been a director at RIKEN since 2022. She has held her current position since 2025. Her specialties are law and psychology, cognitive psychology, and developmental psychology. 6 Capacity/participation fee • Capacity In-person participation capacity: 60 people (advance registration required) *If there are too many applicants, a lottery will be held. Online participation capacity: All applicants (advance registration required) • Participation fee free 7. How to Apply Apply via the online form or by phone. Tokyo Human Rights Plaza (1) Web Form https://form.run/@lecture-training-20250923
https://prcdn.freetls.fastly.net/release_image/126701/34/126701-34-13d4c579267fc5e4bc7658c7f331aacf-512×512.png (2) Telephone: 03-6722-0123 *If applying by phone, please provide the following information. (1) Name of representative (2) Number of participants (3) Participation format (in person/online) (4) Address to which the course information should be sent (Address/email address) (5) Telephone number (6) Childcare preferences (7) Necessary accommodations due to disabilities, etc. Yes/No (If yes, please state the details) 8 Application deadline In-person participation: Tuesday, September 16, 2025, noon Online participation: Friday, September 19, 2025, noon *If you require childcare, please apply by Wednesday, September 10. 9. Information Guarantee Please contact us for information guarantees such as sign language interpretation and Braille interpretation. 10 Sponsor/Inquiry Tokyo Human Rights Plaza (Designated Manager: Tokyo Human Rights Promotion Center (Public Interest Foundation)) Shiba 256 Square Building 1st and 2nd Floors, 2-5-6 Shiba, Minato-ku, Tokyo 105-0014 Phone: 03-6722-0123 E-mail: fukyu3102@tokyo-jinken.or.jp 11 Others Flyer PDF (front) Flyer PDF (back side)