Truancy hits record high in Japan in fiscal 2023

The number of elementary, junior high and high school children who refused to go to school in Japan hit a record high of 415,252 in fiscal 2023, which ended last March, the education ministry said Thursday.
The number of truant students at elementary and junior high schools rose by some 47,000 from the previous year to a record 346,482, marking the 11th straight year of increase.
The growth reflected a loss of motivation among children to go to school due to the COVID-19 pandemic that disrupted their lifestyles as well as changes in parents’ perceptions about the necessity of their children taking a rest, the ministry said.
Such students at high schools numbered 68,770, also a record high. Their absenteeism stemmed from a failure to adapt to new class or school environments as well as the pandemic.
The ministry also said the number of recognized cases of bullying at elementary to high schools and special needs schools climbed by some 50,000 to 732,568, hitting a record high for the third consecutive year.
The increase was attributed to schools’ active efforts to detect bullying cases, mainly through enhanced training. Of the total cases, 77.5% had been resolved by the end of fiscal 2023, according to the ministry.
Serious bullying cases, in which the victims suffered serious psychological or physical harm, numbered a record high of 1,306, up from 919 in fiscal 2022.
The number of violent acts by students at elementary, junior high and high schools stood at a record 108,987. “This doesn’t mean that students have become more violent. It’s rather the result of careful monitoring,” a ministry official said.
The number of elementary, junior high and high school students who committed suicide was 397, down from 411. Seven of them were reported to have been bullied.