Japanese schools must intervene more effectively in bullying problems

Acceptance and safety are two important human needs, especially for young students who are still developing and finding their place in the world. Harassment and bullying at school threaten that sense of safety and can cause lasting harm.

What is bullying, and what causes it? Bullying can have various definitions, but it boils down to repeated behavior intended to cause physical or mental harm. Japan’s own anti-bullying law passed in 2013 defines it as acts that impact a child physically or psychologically. These acts cause suffering and are performed by a schoolmate or someone else the child has a relationship with.

How is Japanese bullying different from other countries?

The Japanese sociologist Yoji Morita notes some common traits. Bullying in Japanese schools tends to have more psychological harassment. It is overwhelmingly carried out by classmates in a classroom setting. It also happens more often among friends or others that a student has a relationship with.

Japan’s cultural value on conformity also means that students who stand out or are different in any way can become targets. This includes behavioral differences and even positive traits like being intelligent or talented.

A recent study by the United Nations Children’s Fund found that Japanese schoolchildren had the second-worst mental well-being ranking out of 38 countries. This is despite ranking well in other factors such as economic circumstances.

Japanese schools have long faced problems with bullying. Japan’s education ministry tracks bullying cases through surveys every year. In the 2019 fiscal year, a record high of over 610,000 bullying cases were reported through this survey. More than 300 students took their own lives, and 10 of them were linked to bullying.

There have been high-profile news stories about bullying that led to deaths and suicides, including the death of a young Hokkaido girl and the suicide of a Gifu boy. In the latter incident, there were 34 cases of bullying leading up to his death.

Schools must intervene more often and more promptly

Some people see Japanese school environments as barriers to bullying prevention. For example, Japanese teachers have very high workloads that include after-school activities as well as regular classes. Class sizes are often large, and it can be difficult to notice or resolve certain cases. Moreover, cultural norms looking down on asking for help or showing weakness also make it difficult for students to reach out.

In addition, while there has been greater awareness of bullying, with many schools taking it seriously, others see bullying as an embarrassment. They do not necessarily take serious steps to solve the problem, hoping that it will go away on its own. Higher priority is placed on school reputation than the well-being of students.

There are no easy solutions to stop bullying, but greater awareness of the issue is an important first step. Japan’s education ministry lists various points to be aware of regarding bullying. One of these points stresses the importance of schools, homes and society coming together to make serious efforts against harassment.

The greater rate of reported incidents may mean that schools are noticing bullying that simply went ignored before. More minor incidents have gotten attention, and some experts recommend that they be dealt with before they become worse. The 2013 anti-bullying law requires schools to actively investigate serious cases. Regardless of the strategy used, tackling the issue head on is vital for creating a safe and comfortable environment for students.

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