The proportion of elementary and junior high school pupils with asthma marked a record high during health checkups last spring, up almost 2.5 times from a decade ago, according to a survey by the education ministry.
The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry said air pollution and changes in dietary habits are among the factors likely to be behind the rise.
In light of increasing reports of children afflicted by conditions such as asthma, atopic dermatitis and hay fever, the ministry said it will request 15 million yen in the fiscal 2004 budget to assess the situation.