Photo/Illutration Children in Utsunomiya, Tochigi Prefecture, spend time at a “free school” for students who refuse to attend a regular school. (Yoichi Tsubura)

A record 196,127 elementary and junior high school students skipped classes for reasons other than illness, financial circumstances and precautions against infections in fiscal 2020, according to a survey by the education ministry.

The ministry noted the COVID-19 pandemic as one reason for the record truancy, saying it has taken a toll on many children’s physical and mental health.

The total number of suicides by students reported by elementary, junior high and senior high schools also hit a record high 415, the most since the ministry began keeping statistics in 1974.

The actual number, however, could be higher than the figure schools reported.

National Police Agency data shows 507 elementary, junior high and senior high school students, including those whose cause of death has yet to be officially determined, took their own lives in fiscal 2020.

The number of elementary and junior high school students refusing to attend classes for 30 days or more rose 8.2 percent from fiscal 2019, which ended in March 2020, according to the latest survey of elementary, junior high and senior high schools as well as boards of education.

Of the 196,127 truant students, 63,350 were elementary school children, up 10,000 from the previous fiscal year. The figure for junior high school students rose 4,855 year on year to 132,777.

The number of truant elementary and junior high school children has risen for eight consecutive years and in fiscal 2020 marked the highest since comparable data became available in fiscal 1991.

“Lethargy and anxiety” was the most cited reason for truancy, at 46.9 percent, up 7 percentage points from fiscal 2019. It was followed by “disruptions to daily lives, playing and delinquency,” at 12 percent.

The survey also showed 20,905 elementary and junior high school students were not deemed truant but chose not to attend classes for 30 days or more out of fears of contracting the novel coronavirus.

The number of truant senior high school students dropped by 7,049 from fiscal 2019 to 43,051.

Of the 415 suicides, seven were elementary school children, three more than the previous fiscal year.

The figure for junior high school students rose by 12 from a year earlier to 103, while that for senior high school students was up 83 year on year to reach 305.

Suicides by female senior high school students surged by 68 from a year ago to 131.

Among the most cited factors behind suicides were family trouble, mental illness, difficulty in choosing the course of one's life and being scolded by parents.

An education ministry official indicated that more students refused to attend classes following changes to their lifestyle brought on by the pandemic, such as nationwide school closures in spring last year and staggered commuting times.

“They may have not felt like going to school due to disruptions to their daily lives and restrictions on school events,” the official said.

Family problems and being scolded by parents were also commonly cited factors behind suicides of students in past surveys by the ministry.

The official said the pandemic may have exacerbated such problems as many children spent more time with their families at home.

The latest survey also showed 517,163 cases of bullying were reported by elementary, junior high and senior high schools in fiscal 2020, down 15.6 percent from a year earlier. The figure dropped for the first time in seven years.

The ministry attributes the decline to less interaction between children amid the pandemic.

A total of 18,870 cases were reported of students receiving abusive messages on computers or smartphones, up 5.3 percent from fiscal 2019. The figure marked the highest since a question asking about the issue was added to the survey in fiscal 2006.

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