Citation

Rios-Ellis B, Bellamy L, Shoji J. Sch. Psychol. Int. 2000; 21(3): 227-241.

Copyright

(Copyright © 2000, SAGE Publishing)

DOI

10.1177/0143034300213001

PMID

unavailable

Abstract

Multiple suicides among Japanese students due to bullying have resulted in the initiation of various mechanisms to prevent, manage and measure the prevalence of bullying (ijime). Ijime is now a problem of epidemic proportions in Japan. Due to the historical roots of collectivism, combined with the rapid industrialization of Japan, the manifestation of bullying is very different from that seen in Western cultures. The Japanese government, through Mombusho (Japanese Ministry of Education, Sport and Culture), and the Japan Center for Family and Child Research, has attempted to respond to the ever increasing incidence of ijime among Japanese students. In an effort to both augment the level of response, as well as increase the scope of understanding, a fellowship was established to facilitate the ability of a foreign professor to research the issue of ijime. This manuscript informs the prevalence and types of ijime-related behaviours, and presents the findings of related interviews and focus groups conducted in Japan. Differences in behaviours at the elementary, junior high and high school educational levels are discussed.

Language: en