Covering the business of education and training

Suspected bullying had been pointed out in parents' complaints and media reports.

Consequently, the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry in Japan took another look at 41 suicide cases from March 1999 to October 2006.

Of those 41 suicide cases, 14 children had been bullied and three cases linked bullying as the major cause of their suicide. Six cases had bullying as one of the reasons.

A first year high school girl, sixth grade elementary school girl and a first year junior high school boy were the three cases that were directly related to bullying.

The ministry has asked its panel of experts to reconsider its methods of examining incidents of suicides and to clarify its definition of bullying.

Public, state-run and private schools will all be considered in bullying/suicide cases.

I got a phone call out of the blue from a school official not long ago. I was listed as an emergency contact for a Japanese friend who was out of the country.

Her high school daughter had skipped school and I was asked to find her. I found her.

She was at home...hiding...afraid to go to school...because she had been bullied...in an American school.

It's not only in Japan...

What do you think?