Bullying has remained a pernicious problem in the Japanese school system. Students are reluctant to report it and teachers and administrators reluctant to admit it. A new proactive approach by the Saitama Prefectural Board of Education has the potential to start putting a stop to the problem through the use of a mobile access site that lets students report bullying at an early stage.

Such reporting systems are rare in Japan, but this one allows students to get quick and easy help through a simple address or QR code (that squiggly square barcode). Since most students these days have a cellphone, they will be able to access the site immediately and confidentially. That is much more than most students have at the moment.

The Stop Ijime Navi site (stopijime.jp) provides phone numbers and mail addresses where students can report bullying cases 24 hours a day. The site also provides a wealth of information about bullying, counseling, legal options, and perhaps most importantly, supportive messages from students who experienced bullying and survived.