The number of elementary and junior high school students marked as “absent” after missing 30 days or more hit a record 346,482 in the 2023 school year, according to a survey released on Oct. 31.

This is an increase of 47,434 students from the previous academic year and marks the first time the figure has exceeded 300,000.

Absenteeism has risen for 11 years in a row, with an increase of around 150,000 students since the 2020 school year. Education ministry officials attribute this trend to the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and insufficient support.

The ministry survey covered public and private schools as well as education boards across Japan.

According to the ministry, absent refers to students unable to attend school due to psychological or social factors, excluding cases of illness or financial hardship.

The number of absent students during the 2023 school year was 130,370 in elementary schools, up 25,258 from the previous academic year. In junior high schools, it was 216,112—an increase of 22,176.

These figures make up 3.7 percent of all elementary and junior high school students, up 0.5 percentage point from the 2022 school year.

The survey showed that 61.2 percent of absent students received professional counseling or guidance.

This figure rises to 95.8 percent when including students who receive weekly phone calls or home visits from their homeroom teachers.

However, a ministry official said, “It’s important to lower the percentage of students who are not connected to professional counseling services.”

Despite this year's record, there has been improvement. The year-on-year increase in the number of absent students slowed to 15.9 percent in the 2023 school year, down from the prior year's 22.1 percent.

This slowdown is largely due to a drop in the junior high school absentee rate, which fell from 18.7 percent to 11.4 percent.

The ministry sees this improvement as a result of the absenteeism prevention plan introduced in 2023, which has focused on creating comfortable spaces and enhancing counseling support.

The survey also included data on bullying in elementary, junior high and high schools. A total of 732,568 cases were reported, up 50,620 from the previous academic year.

Of these, a record 1,306 cases involved serious mental or physical harm with an increase of 387 cases. Another record 108,987 cases involved violence, up by 13,561.

The ministry attributes these numbers partly to school’s more proactive approach in recognizing and reporting such cases.

TEACHER SHORTAGES AMID PANDEMIC

The ministry cites several reasons for the sharp increase in absenteeism. They include disrupted daily routines during the COVID-19 pandemic, reduced school events correlating to less motivation to attend and a lack of aid for students requiring disability-related assistance.

Katsunori Ida, professor of educational psychology at Ritsumeikan University Graduate School, also mentioned teacher shortages and inadequate school support systems as contributing factors.

The ministry’s survey for the 2021 school year showed that 2,558 teaching positions were unfilled across public schools nationwide.

“Teachers ideally should be attentive to students who find school difficult and provide support, but long working hours leave them with little time to do so,” Ida said.

Takeo Kondo, a professor at the University of Tokyo’s Research Center for Advanced Science and Technology, who is well-versed in support for students with disabilities, said, “A lack of necessary support for children with disabilities, including those with developmental disabilities or similar tendencies, often leads to absenteeism.”

The latest survey showed that 8.8 percent of absent elementary school students and 5.9 percent of absent junior high school students were reported by their schools to have requested or sought additional support related to disabilities.

To reduce the number of children struggling to attend school, Kondo emphasized the need for early awareness and help from teachers.

“Noticing children who have difficulty reading, can’t write communication notebook entries, or struggle to write on the board, and engaging in constructive dialogue with them and their parents early on, could help reduce absenteeism,” he said.

IN-SCHOOL SUPPORT EXPANDS

At Kodaira Fourth Junior High Schol in Tokyo, there is a “duckling” support room designed for students who find it difficult to spend time in a regular classroom.

In early October, two female students―one a first year and the other in her third year―were learning effective communication skills with occupational therapist and licensed psychologist Ayako Inage.

Inage wore a pink bear costume to create a friendly atmosphere.

“For students who find it difficult to come to school, this is a valuable space,” she said.

The school principal said that around a dozen students are using the room this school year. Some go home at midday, while others arrive later and stay through the sixth period.

During the fourth period, the principal, teachers, support staff and outside instructors provide guidance.

Since the support room was established five years ago, the number of students who completely skip school has decreased, the school said.

The duckling support room is commonly known as an “in-school educational support center.”

Assistance methods for absent students have conventionally relied on external options, such as private free schools or municipal education support centers that are available in 1,258 municipalities nationwide.

However, some students are able to come to school but find it difficult to enter a regular classroom.

To address these needs, the ministry has encouraged the establishment of such support rooms, which are now available in 46.1 percent of public elementary and junior high schools.

Private home-visit services are another form of assistance.

One second-grade boy in Tokyo, who stopped attending school last year, began enjoying trading cards with a tutor at home and even started working on math problems in a gamified format, gradually increasing his study time.

Tutors are trained in interacting with children effectively.

The boy has since returned to school.

“Having a regular contact with the tutor may have helped him gradually become more open to the outside world,” said his 47-year-old mother.

The ministry is also considering expanding home-visit support. Funding for these services is planned to be included in the next fiscal year’s budget, backing 350 educational support centers nationwide.

(This article was written by Chika Yamamoto, Yukihito Takahama, Yoshika Uematsu, Asako Miyasaka, a senior staff writer, Hajime Ueno and Kohei Kano.)