TOKYO, Nov 3: A record 353,970 students at elementary and junior high schools in Japan were absent for 30 days or more in fiscal 2024, up 2.2 per cent from a year earlier and marking the 12th consecutive annual increase, according to a recent education ministry survey.
Japan’s Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology said the number of cases increased by 5.6 per cent to 137,704 in elementary schools and by 0.1 per cent to 216,266 in junior high schools, accounting for 3.9 per cent of all students.
The ministry attributed the increase in absenteeism to a growing awareness among parents and guardians that students should not be forced to attend school.
The total includes 42,978 students who were receiving instruction at institutions such as free schools or education support centres, as well as 13,261 students studying at home with remote learning technology.
Among the students, 135,724 were not receiving any professional support, such as from school counsellors.
The total number of bullying cases recognised by elementary, junior high, and high schools stood at 769,022, of which 1,405 were classified as “serious incidents” resulting in physical harm or long-term absence from school, the survey showed. Both figures were record highs.
The ministry attributed the rise in the number of bullying cases to more active recognition, while describing the increase in serious incidents as “a worrisome situation.”
The number of bullying cases stood at 610,612 in elementary schools, 135,865 in junior high schools, 18,891 in high schools and 3,654 in schools for people with disabilities, with 30,204 of all schools, or 83.9 per cent, recording such incidents.
Of the serious incidents, 490 were not identified as bullying until matters escalated, with cases of violence at elementary, junior high, and high schools rising to a record-high 128,859, up 18.2 per cent.
The number of student suicides recognised by schools stood at 413, with eight confirmed as linked to bullying.
— BERNAMA-KYODO