Photo/Illutration The cover page of UNICEF's study into the well-being of children in developed nations (Provided by UNICEF)

Japanese children may be physically healthy, but their mental well-being lags behind other developed nations, according to a UNICEF study released on Sept. 3.

Of the 38 nations studied, Japan’s overall ranking was 20th.

The study about the well-being of children found that the fatality rate in Japan was low, but Japanese children also had a low sense of satisfaction with their daily lives.

Northern European nations topped the ranking, with the top three positions held by the Netherlands, Denmark and Norway. The United States ranked near the bottom, at 36th.

Naoki Ogi, an education professor emeritus at Hosei University, who sat in on the news conference announcing the results of the study, said Japan’s education system played a major factor in the low mental well-being of the nation's children.

Blasting the method of demanding conformity in schools as well as the competition to get into good schools, Ogi said there was the possibility children had a low self-esteem because they were judged based on their exam scores.

The study covered three broad areas, mental well-being, physical well-being and academic and social skills.

Among the factors examined to rank mental health were the ratio of children who said they were satisfied with their lives as well as suicide rates.

To evaluate physical well-being, a comparison was made of fatality rates and the percentages of obese children and young people. The study covered minors between the ages of 5 and 19.

Japan topped the ranking for physical health, but only ranked 27th for academic and social skills and 37th, or second from the worst, for mental well-being.

Children aged 15 were asked to rank their satisfaction with life on a scale of 0 to 10. In Japan, close to 40 percent of the respondents gave responses of 5 or lower, while the figure was about 10 percent for the Netherlands.

The last time UNICEF looked into children’s mental well-being was in 2013 and while a simple comparison is not possible because the number of nations and the indices differ, Japan at that time ranked sixth out of 31 nations.

The report concluded that the well-being of children is determined by public policy and social conditions as well as the networks available in each nation for children and their parents.

It also stated that the novel coronavirus pandemic would likely have a long-term negative effect on children due to the prolonged closure of schools as well as other effects on society and the economy.

UNICEF’s ranking of children’s well-being

1. Netherlands

2. Denmark

3. Norway

4. Switzerland

5. Finland

6. Spain

7. France

8. Belgium

9. Slovenia

10. Sweden

11. Croatia

12. Ireland

13. Luxembourg

14. Germany

15. Hungary

16. Austria

17. Portugal

18. Cyprus

19. Italy

20. Japan

21. South Korea

22. Czech Republic

23. Estonia

24. Iceland

25. Romania

26. Slovakia

27. Britain

28. Latvia

29. Greece

30. Canada

31. Poland

32. Australia

33. Lithuania

34. Malta

35. New Zealand

36. United States

37. Bulgaria

38. Chile

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