Japan is beginning to acknowledge a serious harassment problem after a public outcry regarding a recent series of suicides.
Blind Eye No More
Japan can no longer afford to sweep bullying under the rug. Since 1998 the rate of suicides among children being teased in school ages 10 and 17 has escalated. Emi Doi, a McClatchy special correspondent in Tokyo, writes that the city of Nagano has activists demanding bullying be no longer tolerated. The government is now demanding that schools and teachers address the problem.
10 Suicides
Nagano, which hosted the 1998 Winter Olympics, has seen ten children kill themselves because of harassment. These children have left emails stating they had been bullied, wills, and goodbye letters. 32 more letters have been received by the Ministry of Education in the past month saying they are considering suicide to end the bullying.
Prime Minister Takes Action
Prime Minister Shinzo Abe called for standards for punishing students that bully others in school. This action can result in severe punishments for teachers that ignore bullying in school. Unfortunately, Japanese law does not address bullying and even prohibits middle school children from being expelled from school for harassment.
Ignoring the Crises
This problem is not a new one for Japan. What is new is Japan admitting there is a problem and trying to find a solution.
Japanese Culture
Part of the problem, writes Doi, is the Japanese culture that promotes harmony. Confrontation is not acceptable. So, to confront a bully is not part of the culture. Save Our Bullied Friends is a newly formed group that holds talks about bullying at middle and elementary schools. This group tries to address the problem in a non-confrontational manner.
A father of one of the suicide victims has been appointed to the Nagano Prefectural Board of Education to act as a confidential mediator between schools and bullied students. He has visited with over 600 students so far. It is a massive problem but at least it is now being discussed.
Series on Bullying
Read previous articles on Educational Issues.
Copyright article 2007 Barbara Pytel. All Rights Reserved.
