Education minister announces creation of anti-bullying task force

Too late, too late. And who is going to deal with the bullying PTA? Who is going to deal with the teachers who bully other teachers? This can't be an education reform, it has to be a nation reform. Get rid of the idea that age based seniority is okay and normal. Get rid of the assumption that someone who has been at the company longer is better than someone who is new. Get rid of the idea that someone has to be on the bottom rung of the ladder and that he/she is the punching bag.

I'd love to be positive about this all but let's face it, it is nothing more than a committee that will rubber stamp and never take proper steps to stamp about abuse/bullying.

A little late in creating an anti-bullying task force but I supposed it's better late than never. However, I wonder what the real reason for this creation is. Are they really concerned about the victims? Or did they create it so that no more schools get sued in the future? Depending on the reason, who knows if this task force will help or not...

well, i can see meetings about making the survey, meetings about how many schools, meetings about.......lets hope they really DO something. at least the police are starting to get involved by arresting some of these miscreants for the CRIMES they have (allegedly?!?!?!) committed. (tiptoeing so i dont get deleted)

I heard that other ministers held him down until he said he'd do it......

Bout bloody time!!

Here comes the same-o-same-o "blue ribbon" panel of elite, non-classroom teachers, parents and school administrators. How about some under cover media members posing as substitutes or ALTs being assigned to investigate what really happens in schools? Blur the name of schools and anyone on the screen, but get the truth out.

And they will send out a survey.....

Why do government only moves after someone in dead? Why can't those laws or task force should be in place before someone is killed or has to commit sucide.....really sad

So, the AKB campaign was a failure? Who's have thought that?

As long as the relation of senpai and kohai exists, this country will always have a problem with bullying of some kind or another.

It won't work. Bullying is just part of how the Japanese "harmonize" with each other. Look at every facet of this soiety : schools, work places, housewife groups, variety TV, ..it's all based on some sort of hierarchy where bullying is a prime ingredient. Back in my home country office bullying is rarely an issue...Here it is often "the" issue.... Bullying happens in every society. The difference is that the prevelance usually declines the more mature people become. In Japan however, it seems that the people are in a terminal state of stated growth. Overt bullying simply becomes more passive aggressive. I don't have hope things will change much here. The people just don't have the ability to change..

The Japanese government did something similar to this back in 1981 or 1982 I believe. We all know whether it worked or not.

Within the ministry?! This task force needs to be closer to the ground to be anywhere near effective. How hands on can it possibly be stuck up there in the rafters of Kasumigaseki?

Better to start by making people more accountable - tell teachers and principals they will be held personally responsible for negligence, including prosecution. The same for the bullies themselves and their parents. Change the law to allow that to happen if necessary.

But praise the schools for disclosing problems - and then praise them again. We need to keep things open. Then work really close with them to get things sorted - and give the schools power to fight monster parents and problem PTAs.

How about a national "Childline" for students who are being bullied? Freedial from any phone box in Japan. And teach parents how to spot the signs of their children being bullies or bullied. Encourage parents to spend more time talking to their children. Encourage fathers to go home early at least a couple of times a week to see their kids. Get a bit more family-oriented.

Guess they were bullied into it!

The cycle continues

Blind leading the blind.

The Japanese social and political structures as as whole need a complete reboot.

This will have little to no impact on the status quo.

S

Bullying is part of life... In any nation, sadly. Not just Japan.

The students are are bullied reports to school adminstration, the school district should have a standard format database of a complaint to log in all the information. By having in the school records and you can determine the pattern of the problem with the same student, if it is still continuing or not. If the problem persits, the school adminstrator has to take it seriously and investigate the matter fully and report back the findings. The school has to take action on the case per case basis and take it seriously.