/ck/ - Food & Cooking

But the part that really struck a chord with a lot of viewers was the decision to force all students to eat the fish. Most of them agreed to do it, so the rest were forced to submit to the will of the majority. This decision led to some heartbreaking scenes, like children struggling to eat the fish with tears flowing down their faces.

“What are you doing to these children?” one horrified viewer commented on Twitter.

“Shouldn’t you also acknowledge the will of the weaker minority groups?” someone else asked.

According to Yahoo News, these special classes have been held at elementary schools in Tokyo and Shibuya Ward for two years, but this recent controversial segment put them into the spotlight.

The Nippon Foundation, which reportedly hosts this project at seven elementary schools nationwide fought back against the criticism, claiming that because of growing environmental problems like global warming and over-fishing, engaging in a serious discussion about the value of fish as a food from a young age is very important.

“As the sea environment worsens due to global warming and over-fishing, efforts are being made to learn and think about environmental issues through the ‘life’ of fish raised by children,” a Nippon Foundation statement on the recent scandal reads.

The Class of Life has its share of detractors in Japan, but many children and teachers who take part in it claim that life itself can be cruel, and that the best way to show you respect food is to eat and not waste it. The question of whether elementary students should take part in such a project is up in the air though…