Story perspectives
School Refusals Rise as Bullying Cases Hit Record High
10/31/2025
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Story summary
- Japan recorded 353,970 elementary and junior high students who refused to attend school in fiscal 2024, the 12th consecutive year of increase.
- High school refusals declined slightly to 67,782 in the same period.
- Bullying cases reached 769,022, the highest on record.
- Serious bullying incidents rose to 1,405 from 1,306.
- Since the 2013 Act for the Promotion of Measures to Prevent Bullying, efforts to reduce victims have shown little success.
