Taisuke Miyagawa apologized and said his coaches had ordered him to injure the opposing quarterback

Eugene Hoshiko/Associated Press

• His coach told him to do it.

A violent tackle from behind would ordinarily result in a severe penalty. But in Japan, where American football barely registers, the illegal move during a college game has touched off a national debate about “power hara,” or obedience to authority and unwavering team loyalty.

The 20-year-old linebacker from Nihon University who made the tackle, Taisuke Miyagawa, above, apologized and said his coaches had ordered him to injure the opposing quarterback or risk being benched. The head coach has resigned.

“I wasn’t strong enough to say no,” Mr. Miyagawa said.