The alarming jump in the number of reported cases of bullying at schools nationwide — a record 414,378 in fiscal 2017, up 91,235 from the previous year — is attributed to greater efforts by teachers and school officials to identify even minor cases and take early action to prevent them from escalating into serious damage to the victims. At the same time, the number of grave cases in which bullying victims suffered severe physical or psychological damage also rose, reaching 474, up 78 from the year before. Ten of the 250 schoolchildren who took their own lives last year were found to have suffered from bullying at school. Bullying continues to be a grave problem that needs urgent attention and action.

The law to promote efforts to stop bullying was introduced in the wake of the 2011 suicide of a 13-year-old boy in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, who had been bullied at his junior high school. Responding to criticism that the boy killed himself after no action was taken to stop his bullying, the education ministry has instructed boards of education and schools to identify and report on broad forms of bullying, including seemingly minor cases, so that teachers and school officials can intervene before the situation escalates to a dangerous level.

The law defines bullying as a condition in which a child feels psychological or physical pain caused by the acts of other children. The number of reported bullying cases at elementary, junior high and high schools across Japan have increased nearly sixfold from around 70,000 in fiscal 2011. The education ministry says the surge in the number of bullying cases is proof that these efforts are paying off.