EXCLUSIVE: Japan to use human rights lectures to prevent bullying

February 21, 2019

Tokyo--Japan's Justice Ministry will promote the use of its human rights lectures in cooperation with the education ministry to prevent school bullying, Jiji Press learned Wednesday.

The lectures, organized by the Justice Ministry to raise public awareness of human rights, will be given in ethics education classes at elementary and junior high schools from fiscal 2019, which starts in April, informed sources said.

Human rights lectures "will be a good opportunity for children to think about bullying," a senior ministry official said. "We want schools to actively utilize the lectures."

Ethics education became an official curriculum subject at the country's elementary schools in fiscal 2018. It will join the junior high school official subjects in fiscal 2019.

Human rights lectures are given mainly by volunteer human rights activists commissioned by the justice minister. Some schools have already introduced the lectures in ethics education.

The ministry asked the education ministry to cooperate after a fiscal 2017 survey found that the number of suicides and other serious incidents involving students hit a record high.

In response, the education ministry requested the boards of education nationwide to take steps so that human rights lectures are given in ethics education classes.

The ministry also calls for holding human rights seminars and lectures for school staff and parents.Jiji Press