Ijime, a Timeline

English Japanese

• 30 October 1890: The Imperial Restrict on Education was issued, outlining post-shogunate goals for Japanese education including producing students who thought alike, acted alike, and had the same store of knowledge.

• Late 1800s- 1945: According to the Imperial Restrict on Education, Japanese students were educated in a strict system focusing on rote memorization, uniformity, and reverence to the Emperor and the Empire of Japan.,

• 1970s (post-war Japan): Students began to rebel against this education system by acting violently against fellow students, teachers, and school property.

• 1980s- 1990s: Japanese students who had been educated abroad began to return to Japan and became targets for bullying by both students and teachers alike for being inherently “different,” because of their foreign views and behavioral patterns.

• 1992-1996: The number of Ijime (bullying)-related arrests fluctuated at an alarming rate.

• 1998: The National Diet took action calling for reforms that would end “mind-numbing” and competitive examinations that students were required to take.

• November 2006: In the span of just 4 days, a string of 5 student suicides across Japan was reported; all cases were linked to bullying.

• Present: Abuse has taken the form of “Cyber Bullying” in an attempt to bring the bullying outside of school jurisdiction and hide it from the authorities. Methods such as text messages and internet bulletin boards are used to ridicule, torment, and harass students and teachers.