Mariko Komuro was of the firm belief that children should go to school even if they experienced problems -- at least until her 8-year-old son, Kazutoshi, began to feel sick and throw up in the morning on school days.

His homeroom teacher came for the boy and forcibly took him to school, only to make matters worse.

"I wanted to find other ways (to educate him) instead of forcing him to go to school," said Komuro, who turned to home education. "After reading books on home schooling, I thought maybe he could study at home."