A Study on the Basic Characteristics and Coping Strategies of Bullying in Japanese School

Abstract

Globally, school bullying has become a serious educational and social problem in different countries. Japan has developed a response system with its own characteristics in dealing with bullying in schools. Based on a review of the definitions of bullying and school bullying response measures in Japan at different times, the study is centered on the results of the 2022 survey on bullying in schools conducted by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) of Japan and based on the data published by MEXT and the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications (MIC) in 2022, the study focuses on "early prevention, early detection, early response and response to major incidents", and describes responses in these four aspects at both the national and school levels. The results of the study show that bullying in Japanese schools is becoming more prevalent and serious, the group of school bullying tends to be younger, non-violent psychological harm is the main type of school bullying, and methods of school bullying tend to be more covert, and cyber bullying tends to be more serious. The current response to bullying in schools in Japan emphasizes the strengthening of bullying prevention education from primary school onwards, with a tendency to strengthen education on interpersonal relationships and awareness of collective norms within the school (or classroom) . The specific response to school bullying consists of four components: early prevention, early detection, early response, and response to major incidents. Utilizing the role of the state, regional public bodies, schools, and other institutions is an important way to respond properly to incidents of bullying in schools. Among them, particular emphasis is placed on early detection and early response, and a special response to major incidents of school bullying.