The number of reported cases of bullying at schools in Japan for fiscal 2012 reached a record high 198,108, the Education Ministry announced Tuesday.
The number is not only the highest since records began being kept in 1985, but also 2.8 times greater than the figure for fiscal 2011, the ministry said.
A ministry spokesman said the high number is the result of increased awareness of the problem and a greater willingness by students and their parents to report bullying, as a result of the high-profile case of a Shiga boy who killed himself after being tormented by his classmates in late 2011, TBS reported.
The ministry also said that 196 school children committed suicide in fiscal 2013.
According to the ministry's findings, for every 1,000 students across Japan, there were an average of 14.3 bullying cases reported. Kagoshima Prefecture had the most with 32,167, or 166.1 cases per 1,000 students, while Saga Prefecture experienced the fewest with 207 cases, or two cases per 1,000 students, recognized.
The ministry is calling for education boards nationwide to pool their resources and improve their understanding of why bullying happens and develop improved countermeasures and preventative programs, TBS reported.
© Japan Today
23 Comments
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cl400
One of my students is a high school teacher. He himself gets bullied from monster parents. Easy to see how this behavior trickles down to their children. He also mentioned that when a student decides to defy him or act up against him, there isn't much he can actually do, aside from ask them to stop, in which most cases, they don't. I really sympathize with him.
Disillusioned
So, 15% of kids reported bullying. I wonder if that includes bullying from teachers as well. That figure of 196 kids commuting suicide is 196 too many.
NeonFraction
To the people saying this is a bad thing, NO. The number of reported bullying cases going up is a VERY good thing, because for the first time ever people are actually reporting them. You can't fix what you ignore.. The bullying issue has always been bad, but at least now people are starting to realize it needs to be fixed.
the_odeman
The fact that more and more cases are coming to light, as in, being reported and responded to, is a HUGE FIRST step. Good on ya Japan, I hope you only move forward from here on in trying to eradicate this problem that is not only confined to Japan, but to every part of the world.
Bear27840
A few lawsuits placed on parents of bullies, teachers that allow it or do it and schools would bring this out oif control madness under control quickly.
Novenachama
Bullying is a worldwide problem that seems to stain the lives of every generation of children and yet we fail, as a society, to adequately deal and route out the core problem. How many more lives must be ruined before we get a handle on this damaging practice? Bullying is like a disease, if you let it take hold of it can ruin lives. That's why schools, communities, and friends need to take action at the first sign of trouble. Otherwise sustained bullying can have a long term damaging effect on the psychology of those on the receiving end.
CrazyJoe
Not only the victims of bullying but you must address from the perspective that bystanders and perpetrators are also victims or it will not lead to a fundamental solution.
Jeff Ogrisseg
This is not a success, it's an incredible failure. Nearly 30 years of "talking" and throwing "experts" and money at this endemic Japanese societal sickness has accomplished virtually nothing. Think about it: for a lot of the affected teachers and parents, "attention" has been on this problem their whole lives or nearly so. Tallying nearly 200,000 reported cases in 2013 is really nothing to celebrate.
Akkio
Yeah, not a big fan of bullying either. And because of being bullied I am now a sadist and I do love verbally and sometimes physically abusing bullies. Revenge is sweet~ And before people say "Oh, you're no better" I have to say "Those who shoot must prepare to be shot". Reporting is good IF something can be done. And I'm sure most teachers don't give a damn and let the idiots off with a warning which is why the teachers sometimes have to be cough convinced. And fighting back whether standing up for yourself or reporting the bullies isn't always a good and safe option and that's when even the police should get involved (and they don't always get involved... -.-') Well at least the little that can actually be done is being done. Too many idiotic pieces of human trash in this world. And those with the authority should do what they can in order to keep the bullying victims safe and the human trash punished. They usually tell the bully who reported them -.- damn teachers are so useless sometimes.
Fadamor
How can you justify the first sentence? While the rest of your statements are accurate, a higher reporting rate does not automatically mean less actual bullying.
Hannes Pretorius
It all boils down to the theory of evolution and natural selection, the strong (physically and mentally) dominate the weak, not only with physical violence, but psychological manipulation and abuse. One cannot be rid of it, it is in our DNA. It's all very well to say and to try to do something about it, in the short and medium terms it may even have an effect. But we will never be completely free of bullying.
LiveInTokyo
In a group oriented country like this one, I can't imagine the situation getting better. If you are not a member of a the group, you are an outsider and that can make you liable to criticism and or attack. As we've heard so many times before, the nail that sticks out will get hammered down, which means groups will try and make you conform to their standards. If that black sheep accepts it, they can become accepted. However, for people who don't want to become a member of certain groups but are forced to associate with them (e.g. schools, marriage or workplaces) or if the group thinks that person is not a suitable member, the outcome will not be pleasant.
I really can't see any change in this situation until there is a cultural change in this country.
pointofview
@Disillusioned,
Apparently that guy was fired.
shallots
@Akkio I sense a lot of real pain there. But let me say that there is a lot that can be done that is not being done. In fact, I'd say very few substantive changes are being attempted. Let me also say that the police can do very little to change "culture" of the education system. There are alternative ways of education, communication and learning. Please don't be fooled into thinking that this is the only possible world. There is a lot out there even though it doesn't seem like it because Japan is so insular and insulated. I think we owe it to the young people and to the next generation not to give up. And one more thing: people change.
oldman_13
Bullying is a world wide epidemic, but shocking to see how bad it is in Japan also.
World morals going down.
Disillusioned
Just for those who have forgotten, here is the video of the psycho sports teacher beating down on a student. Unfortunately, there are many of these kinds of videos floating around. Some from Japan, but most from other parts of Asia.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U1L3THxuA18
Lilic
When i was a kid we never had that bullying thing, we had our fights at school and following day were best buddies again. We dont had any iDevice taking care of our lives. Where just kids playing with freedom being a kid!
shallots
Restorative Justice, Peer Mediation, Conflict Resolution = increased empathy skills/empowerment and recognition. It's hard to keep banging your head against the wall and expect different results. Educators can advocate for different directions here. But it's a long hard road to convince institutions to change business as usual. There needs to be a tipping point where people start to believe in alternatives. We're not there yet.
Knox Harrington
On the contrary, this is very bad. I suspect that, even though reported cases are up, there is a large number of unreported incidents and that would make the total number of bullying cases far greater.
As Dis said above: 196 kids committing suicide are 196 too many. Very tragic that so many children see suicide as the only way out. This is something that Japan should deal with but I am sure they will do their usual song-and-dance routine and put the lid on...
nath
The guy should have been prosecuted. Oh and lets not forget the women`s judo team at the London olympics getting slapped around.
drakedogma
200,000 Cases in a population of 100 million. Since America has 300 million people, that would be around 600,000 cases of bullying.
And anyone who knows anything about America would know that 600,000 cases of bullying is ideal compared to how much bullying goes on. So 200,000 in terms of their population is impressively low
Jyoonbeee
People need to stand up for themselves & others. Bullying is cool.
CGB Spender
It seems to be the fad right now! I'm offering myself as a bodyguard for any student being bullied for a fair price! So before they can bully you they first have to get past me.