Violence in schools

Violence in schools has increased. In 1996-1997, statistics showed that incidents of violence occurred in some 17.75% of all junior high schools and in some 22% of senior high schools. The forms of violence included violence against teachers, violence against other students, and destruction of things in the classroom or elsewhere in the school.

The violence has not seen a steady increase, though; rather, it's been subject to ups and downs. In junior high schools, for example, the rate of violence was 11.2% in 1985, but that fell for the next three years to less than 10% and in 1989 stood at 10.7%. 1990 saw the same 11.2% figure as 1985; that increased to 11.7% in 1995, increased again to 12.2% in 1993, but fell slightly in 1993. The level rose in 1994 to 14% the fell again in 1995 to 13.8%, although it did shown a significant increase in the following year, rising by about 2.5% in one year.

Violence in senior highs has shown a somewhat similar pattern. In 1985 violence was reported from 6.8% of the schools; this went up in 1986 to 7.5%, then fell to 7.4% in 1987. From that point, though, it showed steady increase, going from 9.3% in 1988, 16.6% in 1994, and about 22% in 1996.

A somewhat related aspect is violence against family members which has also become a problem. Oddly enough, the main perpetrators of the violence are students who actually do well in school. These break down into three types of violence, according to the book Unmasking Japan Today: The Impact of Traditional Values on Modern Japanese Society, 1996:

1. Violence intended to actually hurt someone, including kicking, beating and shoving.

2. Violence against objects, such as throwing things and setting fires.

3. Verbal violence such as screaming and jeering.

Some 80% of the abusive adolescents are eighter 15 or 16 year old males with the primary victims being the mothers.

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