No. of reported school bullying cases in Japan hit record high in 2016

Even the schools themselves bully the students:

Japanese girl says school forced her to dye hair black; sues Osaka gov't

https://japantoday.com/category/national/japanese-girl-says-school-forced-her-to-dye-hair-black-sues-govt-media

There's a need to make efforts to know what's happening to children in the current era,

Oh I don't know. Where can I start?

-Hands off parenting as a result of excessive work hours.

-culture of always nailing down anything that stands out

-absolute lack of communication, real communication

-shaming expression of emotion

-engraining the culture of 'gaman' from an early age

Walk along now. Absolutely nothing is going to happen!!

Is it just that we're capturing the reporting of more incidents these days rather than seeing some new trend. Bullying has always been around in one form of another.

Ahhhh.... those unwritten cultural rules of society in Japan and the sheep that enforce them. Geino-jin exist so many Japanese can live vicariously through them.

This suggests we have increasing awareness of something that has always been a problem. Online bullying will be a new aspect of it, but I doubt bullying as a whole is becoming more widespread.

While good in itself, increased awareness is only the first step, and what really matters is what countermeasures are going to be taken. I don't think Japanese schools have the kind of disciplinary measures Westerners might expect. Punishments like detentions, work in the school grounds, extra homework, etc.

Of 244 students who committed suicide, 10 had been bullied.

Incorrect! - Only 10 'were proven to have' been bullied.

Bullying comes in many forms. Intimidation and threats are the most common. These are used by both teachers and parents as discipline. Then there is peer pressure, expectations and being ostracised for non-conformity. These few points are the basis of Japanese society and impossible for anyone to avoid. You could say that, every person in Japan is a victim of bullying and many can't handle it, which is reflected in the high child and adult suicide rates.