Japanese elementary school children are becoming more violent. A government report shows that the number of cases of violence rose to a record 1,890 during the past school year. This broke the previous record of 1,600 cases set in 2003. This is worrying for Japanese citizens who are used to a well-behaved society. Schoolchildren are traditionally famous for their good behavior and respect for teachers. A government spokesman said the violence is because children have “difficulties expressing their feelings” or “lack patience”.
Attacks against teachers jumped nearly 33 per cent to 336 cases during the latest school year. The government report stated: “Children easily lost their tempers because of trivial things and quickly turned to violence.” This included stabbings and destruction of school property. Worried parents stayed in the classroom and watched their own children in one school to try and get students to study. Teachers have said they no longer know how to control many children. Police statistics show serious crimes committed by children are increasing.
