Covering the business of education and training

Kids being bullied is not the only violent thing that goes on in Japanese schools. And kids are not the only targets either.

The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology reported that in 2004 there were 3,366 cases of violence in Japanese jr. high schools, the lowest number in more than 7 years.

Sr. high schools saw 1,734 acts of violence, the lowest in five years.

Bullying cases were down at both levels - 13,915 reported cases in jr. high schools and 5,551 cases in Sr. high.

Violence against teachers was down to its lowest in seven years at jr. high schools to 1,236 cases and the lowest in five years at sr. high schools to 424 cases.

However, it was always my experience that Japanese were ALWAYS reluctant to report anything to police unless it was absolutely necessary. A large part had to do with shame. There was also the hassle factor - Japanese policemen can really be obnoxious.

In any event, things are likely to be worse off than is reported. The recent suicides in Japan at schools may speak to that conclusion.

What do you think?

More Posts about Japan

Bill Belew on Business in Asia

More Posts about the Business of Education