When bullying occurs in the closed space of a school, can the educational institution that is responsible for children say with certainty that,”We will absolutely protect the children”?

I don’t think there are many educational institutions that can say this with certainty.

In October 2025, the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) announced the number of confirmed cases of bullying in elementary, junior high, high schools, and special needs schools for the 2024 academic year. The total was 770,000, the highest number ever.

Schools have reported to the MEXT that 180,000 of these cases remain unresolved. Over 400 children have taken their own lives, including cases caused by bullying, but no one knows the exact number. There is little willingness on the part of schools or the government to grasp the actual situation.

A society where children decide to take their own lives on a daily basis is obviously flawed.

In 2011, the “Otsu Bullying Suicide Incident” occurred. A second-year junior high school boy committed suicide due to bullying from his classmates. Afterward, the school and the board of education attempted to cover up the bullying and avoid responsibility.

The Act on Promotion of Measures to Prevent Bullying was enacted in 2013 in response to the incident in Otsu. This was the first law in Japan pertaining to child bullying, and outlined measures and responsibilities that schools, local governments, and the national government should take.

However, they won’t be held responsible even if schools or supervisory authorities neglect to follow the legal requirements and victims are discovered. It is impossible to claim that this law protects children.

In fact, even though it has been more than 10 years since the law was enacted, the number of cases of bullying and suicides is on the rise.

This is not a children’s problem, it’s an adult problem.

We have all experienced bullying. You may have witnessed bullying, been a victim, or been a bully yourself.  However, many of us eventually leave school. Bullying at school becomes unimportant to us before we even realize it.

Nevertheless, the reality is that bullying in schools continues to exist. Perhaps the effects of our overlooking it are causing children to suffer today.

Schools and governments alike must change. To achieve this, all adults must seriously address the issue, speak out, and put an end to the vicious cycle.

To our readers

In the first chapter of this series, “Kyodo News Edition,” we reported on the “self-preservation of the media” surrounding the case of Hayato Fukuura, who committed suicide due to bullying in Nagasaki Prefecture. (Click here for Chapter 1)

Chapter 2 delves into the reality of Kaisei Gakuen, the school Hayato attended.

Kaisei Gakuen, which attempted to cover up Hayato’s suicide, continues to stand in the way of his family. They have spread false information to students and parents, and denied the report of a third-party committee that determined that bullying was the cause of his suicide. They continue to behave in a way that makes it hard to believe they feel any responsibility for a student of their own taking his own life.

Eight years have passed since Hayayo’s suicide, but his family is still fighting Kaisei Gakuen in court. Why should parents who lost their own child be forced to endure such double and triple hardship?

Moreover, there were other victims at Kaisei Gakuen besides Hayato. Kaisei Gakuen is still in operation today. Does it still meet the requirements to be considered an educational institution that is responsible for children?

It is up to adults to protect children. I sincerely hope that both parents and people without children will take this opportunity to give the issue of child bullying careful thought.

November 13, 2025

Nanami Nakagawa

(Originally published in Japanese on November 13, 2025. Translation by Mana Shibata.)

Adults in the Student Suicide Case ~School Edition~: All articles