An unnamed 19-year-old male preparatory student was arrested yesterday in Sendai in connection to a case of online cheating on Kyoto University’s entrance exam last week. The culprit, a graduate from a public high school in Yamagata Prefecture, had failed to return home, only to later be picked up near JR Sendai station. He has since been flown to Osaka and taken to Kyoto, where he is now being interrogated.

The student’s mother was in fact the subscriber of the cell phone; your parents just want what’s best for you, kids. Another revelation of note: it turns out that the suspect took exams at three other universities (Doshisha, Waseda, and Rikkyo), and was even accepted by one of them! However, sources say that the school in question will be rejecting him once proof of fraud is confirmed.

The media buzz and police treatment of the teen’s case is, to say the least, severely damaging; it’s lucky that his name has been withheld due to his being a minor. Still, when the word leaks out, his future (at least in Japan) may be in danger. Lawyer Tsutomu Shimizu, who heads a private group called the National Network to Realize Better Police, criticized the police response as “totally out of line.”

“The arrest will affect the boy’s entire life . . . that is undeserved. If universities want to send a message to the public that cheating is bad, failing a cheater is enough,” he added.

The recent incident has also set off a debate about how to deal with the ubiquity of smaller smart phones that allow students to instantaneously access the Internet — and, in the case of “aicezuki” (his online moniker), allow easy cheating. Though Education Minister Yoshiaki Takaki had called for a ban on cell phones from exam rooms immediately following the discovery of the Kyoto University case, a senior ministry official now says that the resources necessary to execute such precautions would be daunting, noting, “Universities would have to set aside extra space and incur more costs if they are to confiscate cell phones during exams. Even such measures wouldn’t ensure that the applicants don’t have phones with them.”

How far can schools go to secure their examination process? Keio University has noted that frisking students is a difficult task in itself, while Tokai University dismisses that option entirely.

Our suggestion? Hold the exams in rooms lined with thick lead to prevent reception. If that doesn’t work, just blast off an EMP.

(via Japan Times; image via Living Like It Matters)

Previously: Cheater Uses Yahoo! Answers in Kyoto University Entrance Exam

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