8 prefectures and cities with high rates of "serious incidents" of bullying; issues such as teachers' lack of understanding of the law. Last year, schools across the country detected more than 680,000 cases of bullying, of which 923 were cases of suicide or refusal to attend school.
The increase in bullying on SNS, which is difficult to detect, was identified as a common issue. The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology will proceed with the revision of guidelines for prompt investigation when a "serious situation'' occurs.