Changing the Japanese Educational System in Terms of Bullying

Changing the Japanese Educational System in Terms of Bullying

Abstract

Bullying has emerged as a serious social issue in Japan for many years, thus raising a lot of concern. Several cases have arisen in the past where students write down suicidal notes as a result of the physical or psychological torture that they experience from tormentors in their various learning institutions. Reporters have also published numerous articles and books concerning the severity of bullying and the increasing number of victims in Japanese schools each year. For instance, bullying cases increased to about five-hundred and forty-four thousand in 2018 with students reporting nearly six-hundred cases of mental, financial, or physical harm as a result of bullying. With aims to control the act of bullying in schools before it intensifies, the Japanese government, in collaboration with officials in the education system are seeking to make effective changes in learning setups to curb the issue. In other words, it is intending to implement moral education and introduce other school-based programs as effective strategies in addressing school bullying. The paper intends to discuss school bullying as a serious social issue in Japan while pointing out some of the changes or improvements that the government can implement in the country’s educational system.

Changing the Japanese Educational System in Terms of Bullying

Introduction

School bullying has emerged as a serious social issue in Japan since the 1980s, raising a lot of concern on the country’s educational system. In 1986, for instance, national newspapers accounted for nine incidents where learners, reportedly, committed suicide due to group bullying in school (Bolton, 2015). Similarly, several cases have emerged in the past where students write down suicidal notes as a result of the torture that they experience from bullies in their various learning institutions. Reporters have published numerous articles and books concerning the severity of bullying in Japanese schools. Seemingly, by changing the Japanese educational system, this may control the rates of bullying in schools. Bullying has not only led to several suicidal cases in schools but has also deteriorated the learning outcomes of students. In other words, bullying has created detrimental effects on learners’ studies, health, and general wellbeing in Japan. Other than physical torture, victims have suffered psychologically where they experience depression and anxiety as a result of the act. Studies have also revealed that many bullying victims are experiencing sleep disorder, interfering with their normal sleeping. As a result of disrupted sleep, such students may not pay keen attention to their studies either inside or outside classrooms.

With intentions to control the act of bullying in schools before it becomes more severe, the Japanese education system should make effective changes, including the successful implementation of moral education in the syllabus or other school-based programs that will address the bullying issue. By addressing this issue, it will be easy to point at bullies and condemn their actions. Similarly, this will encourage victims to open up about their experiences before they make destructive moves. Making strategic changes in the Japanese education system with regard to the issue of bullying will imply that society is looking deeply into the matter and addressing it accordingly. The move to raise high concerns on school bullying by slightly altering the educational system will not only assist in lowering consequences of bullying or the number of deaths from the act but will also improve students’ performance and learning outcomes. Therefore, as Japan aims to eradicate the act of bullying in its learning institutions, it should consider making strategic changes in its education system by revising the use of moral education lessons or introducing more effective school-based programs.

Bullying in the Japanese Schools

Bullying has emerged as a global social problem that runs from society to society, unleashing detrimental effects that can interfere with an individual’s studies, health, or general wellbeing. Studies have reported highly publicized incidents where bullying has persistently shocked school seniors and society at large. Moreover, a government survey has shown an ongoing rise in bullying cases. Despite disclosing socioeconomic and cultural factors underlying the issue and ways of handling them, the government seeks to uncover more effective school-based programs to address the issue. The Japanese educational system has seen several years of bullying cases in learning institutions from 2014 to 2018 (Aspinall, 2013). The bullying practices range from physical to psychological torture and elementary to higher education. The educational system in Japan involves a highly centralized and monitored curriculum. The system recommends the use of textbooks for reference as education providers pass knowledge to their students (Bolton, 2015). The schooling system in Japan comprises of mandatory elementary schools which are made up of six grades as well as the lower secondary schools which consist of three grades. Besides encouraging individual studies, Japanese schools emphasize group activities to foster brainstorming or the sharing of knowledge.

Despite succeeding to uphold highly demanding educational standards in the country, bullying cases have continued to prevail in Japanese schools with the death toll increasing consistently, thus raising a lot of concern. More bullying activities have occurred during class breaks or in classrooms. Unlike other countries, including Norway and England where bullying incidents take place outside the school environs, cases have emerged in Japan where such incidents occur when students are heading back home or going to school (Yoneyama, 2015). Even though there are strict rules and regulations to restrict bullying activities in schools, bullies have managed to instill fear among victims preventing them from disclosing their bad experiences to their seniors. Statistical data has also revealed the continuous existence of bullying practices in schools. For instance, the period between 2014 and 2018 has seen increasing bullying incidents with victims reporting several cases of mental, financial, or physical harm as a result of bullying (Aspinall, 2013). For instance, bullying cases in Japan were about five-hundred and forty-four thousand in 2018. Out of these cases, nearly six-hundred included cases of students with mental, financial, or physical harm due to bullying. In the same year, elementary schools reported over four-hundred and twenty thousand cases of bullying. On the other hand, junior high schools reported about ninety-seven thousand cases.

Despite the decrease in school violence from the early 1980s, the increasing rate of bullying has been alarming. Between 1982 and 1986, incidents of school violence reduced by nearly 50% and have considerably increased in recent years (Aspinall, 2013). Even though society treated bullying and school violence as different entities, current studies have exposed that the two are similar. Nonetheless, studies are showing that victimization in Japanese schools is more rampant among new students and students from foreign cultures. Researchers have identified several indications of school bullying among victims, including, frequent nightmares or difficulty in sleeping, low self-esteem, and feelings of helplessness. Similarly, victims of bullying have shown isolation or avoidance of other people, changing eating habits, self-destructive behaviors like running away from home, declining academic outcomes, among others (Yoneyama, 2015). The government needs to examine the issue of bullying in schools with a lot of consideration and make attempts to trace factors that lead to an increase in these cases. Furthermore, it should revise education policies as well as the entire educational system to implement strategies that will assist in addressing the issue (Horton and Forsberg, 2015). Even though moral education has not succeeded in minimizing bullying cases in schools, the government should consider improving its implementation to ensure that it is effective in addressing the problem. Similarly, it should seek other productive school-based programs to curb the issue before it becomes more severe.

The Implementation of Moral Education in the Japanese Education System  

The government has made great attempts to capture the issue of bullying while establishing the learning curriculum. For instance, it has suggested moral education as one of the most effective ways of curbing bullying activities in schools. Similarly, several schools in Japan have considered implementing moral education lessons to address bullying-related topics to prevent it from emerging or eradicate it in the school setup. Lessons of Ijime bullying have been dominant in many Japanese schools until 2010 when they dropped drastically (Aspinall, 2013). Moral education has existed in the country’s learning program since the restoration of the Meiji in 1868, thus teaching students on morality. Japanese government executed modifications to the education order in 1890 (Horton and Forsberg, 2015). The education ministry also issued a second edition of the education order in the elementary stage during the same year. In this case, national and moral education became the main goal, giving the implementation of knowledge and skills the first priority. In other words, moral education became the focal point of educational efforts. Nishino (2017) identifies that the education reform aimed to develop students’ norms and nationalist education. After the striking of the great depression, Japan headed to war which broke out in 1941. After this period, Japanese nationalism became so strong, making moral education more effective, especially in nurturing good morals in schools.

The current education law in Japan recommends learning institutions to cultivate ethics and morality among learners. Moreover, the law points out moral education’s position and significance in formal learning setups (Horton and Forsberg, 2015). Moral education also aims to foster the enjoyment of academic freedom as students acquire a wide range of knowledge with students from diverse cultures. In general, these lessons encourage individuals to cultivate a high sense of morality and sensibility while improving their academic knowledge and wellbeing. Some of the subjects that these lessons emphasize include moral mentality, attitude, judgement, and engagement. Essentially, moral education lessons have played a vital role in preventing school bullying by informing students about the importance of handling their fellow students appropriately (Abiko, 2014). Even though these lessons attempted to reduce bullying cases in schools, they have unleashed many challenges in addressing all the problems. For example, many students have shown dissatisfaction with the lessons, thus dodging the classes (Yoneyama, 2015). Similarly, the subject of moral education ranks last in class acceptance level. Also, some students are not ready to conform to and practice the knowledge they have obtained in the subject, making no significant change on the issue in learning institutions.

The implementation of moral education has made a significant change in the Japanese educational system. For instance, it has not only taught students about good morals and values but has also given light to future development. However, the program has not successfully lowered the number of bullying cases over the past years. The most recent reports show that bullying cases in Japan increased to about five-hundred and forty-four thousand in 2018 (Yoneyama, 2015). Out of these cases, more than six-hundred included cases of students with mental, financial, or physical harm as a result of bullying. In the same year, elementary schools reported over four-hundred and twenty thousand cases of bullying (Aspinall, 2013). On the other hand, junior high schools reported about ninety-seven thousand cases. The main reason following the increase of school bullying incidents includes the ministry of education’s habit of cautiously asking for school reports. Reportedly, bullying cases have constantly increased in number from 2014 to 2018. Bullying in Japanese schools has continued to prevail as a result of the people’s strong opinion in group consciousness. Nishino (2017) elaborates that educators have not shown interest in helping victimized students due to lack of conformity to the program of moral education. Moreover, reports have revealed that about 12% of teachers have taken part in bullying (Horton and Forsberg, 2015). From these reports, it is evident that the current school-based programs have not succeeded in reducing victimization and bullying in schools. For this reason, the Japanese educational system is not nurturing free learning institutions that are free from bullying. Therefore, there is an urgent need to change it by introducing an effective curriculum that will successfully address the issue of bullying in schools.

The government can transform the Japanese educational system by improving the effectiveness of moral education in schools. Firstly, educators and schools can ensure that they embrace moral education in their learning curriculum. Similarly, they should conform to this curriculum by learning and putting what they have leant in practice. Teachers can also dig information on cultural and socioeconomic factors that lead to incidents of bullying. Consequently, they should seek effective solutions towards addressing these factors while teaching their students on various subjects, including engagement, moral mentality, attitude, and judgement (Horton and Forsberg, 2015). Educators can take advantage of moral education lessons in schools and use them to train themselves on how to think from various perspectives while reducing impulsive behaviors that would generate more adverse effects of bullying. Furthermore, they should aim at improving social skills among students. By doing this, victims can master appropriate ways of reacting to bullies or how to regulate their emotions during bullying incidents. The government can also obtain more effective school-based programs to curb the issue of bullying. Aspinall (2013) identifies that the effective implementation of moral education in schools will, to some extent, transform the Japanese system of education by nurturing disciplined students with moral values. As a result, the prevalence of bullying will significantly go down in many learning institutions. Even though it is hard to completely eliminate bullying in schools, making necessary changes to the education system can help in lowering its severity to a great extent.

Conclusion

School bullying has been a serious social issue in Japan since the 1980s, raising a lot of concern on the country’s educational system and its ability to handle the issue. National newspapers have accounted for several incidents where learners, reportedly, commit suicide due to group bullying in schools. Many reporters have also published articles and books concerning the severity of bullying with the number of victims increasing drastically from 2014. With aims of controlling the act of bullying in schools before it becomes more intense, the Japanese educational system can make effective changes, including the successful implementation of moral education in the syllabus or effect other school-based programs that can address the bullying issue. The government can transform the Japanese educational system by improving the effectiveness of moral education in schools. Firstly, educators and schools can facilitate the embracement of moral education in their learning curriculum and conform to it by learning and putting what they have leant in practice. Even though bullying is unstoppable, to some extent, the Japanese government, in collaboration with officials in the educational system, can play a fundamental part in reducing its severity.

References

Abiko, T. (2014). Educational reform in contemporary Japan. International Handbook of Curriculum Research, 278-285.

Aspinall, R. (2013). Violence in schools: tensions between “the individual” and “the group” in the Japanese education system. In Critical Issues in Contemporary Japan (pp. 251-261). Routledge.

Bolton, K. H. (2015). Moral Education in Japan. The Coming of a New Dawn, Abe s New Moral Education (Master’s thesis).

Horton, P., & Forsberg, C. (2015). Essays on school bullying: Theoretical perspectives on a contemporary problem. Confero: Essays on Education, Philosophy and Politics, 3(2), 6-16.

Nishino, M. (2017). The challenge of developing meaningful curriculum initiatives for moral education in Japan. Journal of Moral Education, 46(1), 46-57.

Yoneyama, S. (2015). Theorizing school bullying: Insights from Japan.