BULLYING AT SCHOOL IN JAPAN
AND AMERICA
Danielle Schaubert
Advisors:
Dr. Yoshiko Saito-Abbott
Dr. Shigeko Sekine
OUTLINE
 Significance of Study
 Research Question
 Background Research
 Definitions of “Ijime”
 Types of Bullying in Japan and America
 Effects of Bullying In Japan and America
 Research Method
 Research Findings
 Conclusion
 Bibliography
 Acknowledgements
SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY
I have been curious about the topic of bullying since I was
bullied in Elementary School. When I studied abroad in Japan, I
realized that bullying is a big problem. I am interested in seeing
the differences between bullying in both societies.
I would like to know what
factors cause bullying in
both societies. I hope to
find out what is being done
to stop bullying.
http://library.thinkquest.org/08aug/00807/pictures/BULLYING.jpg
RESEARCH QUESTIONS
1. What bullying (Ijime) problems have occurred for the
past decade in schools in Japan and America?
2. What are the causes and effects of bullying?
1) What are the causes and effects of bullying in Japan and
the US?
2) What are the similarities and differences ?
3. To what extent are the school system and parents trying
to solve this problem in Japan and the US?
BACKGROUND RESEARCH
 Background Research
 Definitions of “Ijime”
 Types of Bullying in Japan and America
 Effects of Bullying In Japan and America
http://1.bp.blogspot.com/_kiqDVA7wW2g/S-wc-TbZtUI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/nHaqlUWpVZE/s1600/ijime-1.gif
http://www.babypips.com/blogs/piponomics/images/101020/china-bully.png
BACKGROUND RESEARCH 1:WHAT IS “IJIME”?
Definitions of Bullying
“Use superior strength or influence to intimidate (someone),
typically to force him or her to do what one wants”
(http://oxforddictionaries.com)
“To treat in an overbearing or intimidating manner”
(http://www.thefreedictionary.com/bullying)
Ijime translates from Japanese to English as “bullying”
BACKGROUND RESEARCH 2: TYPE OF
BULLYING
In Japan the three top bullying occurrences are:
1) Mean messages/name calling
2) Hazing
3) Shunning
(Uchida, 1993; Denmark,2006;
Yoneyama,1999)
http://www.peter.murmann.name/images/uploads/japan_flag2.jpg
TYPES OF BULLYING IN JAPANESE SCHOOLS
 What types of bullying are common in Japanese
Schools?
1)Mean messages and name calling
 “the use of abusive names to belittle or humiliate another
person”
(Dictionary.com)
 e.g. “ ‘kusai’ (stink), ‘kitanai’ (dirty)… ‘gomi’ (trash), [and]
‘shine’ (die)
(Yoneyama, 1999)
TYPES OF BULLYING IN JAPANESE SCHOOLS
2) Hazing
 e.g. “hiding … the victim’s possessions (i.e. shoes,
bags, pencils often in the toilet)”.
(Yoneyama, 1999)
(http://www.shinrankai.net/tokusyuu/images/20061220b.gif)
TYPE OF BULLYING IN JAPANESE SCHOOLS
3) Shunning
“persistently avoid, ignore, or reject (someone or something) through
antipathy”
(oxforddictionaries.com)
e.g. “Some children are actively rejected by peers. Others are
simply ignored, or neglected“
(Burton,1986)
http://pastordanvera.com/wp-content/gallery/new-image-gallery/ignore_01.jpg
TYPES OF BULLYING IN AMERICAN
SCHOOLS
 In America the three top bullying occurrences are:
1) violence
2) cyber bullying
3) name calling/teasing
(Atlas & Pepler,1998; Coyl,
2009; Farrington,1993;
Salmon,James & Smith,
1998)
http://thebsreport.files.wordpress.com/2009/10/flag.gif?w=315&h=265
Types of Bullying in American Schools
 What types of bullying are common in American schools?
1) Violence
 Violence is “rough or injurious physical force, action, or treatment”
(dictionary.com)
 e.g. A boy named Billy suffered violence at school when a student in …
class punched Billy so hard that when he came to, his braces were caught
on the inside of his cheek
(Dan Barry,2008)
http://www.brooklyn.cuny.edu/bc/spotlite/slpress/050702.htm
TYPES OF BULLYING IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS
2) Cyber bullying
 Cyber bullying “is bullying through email, instant messaging ( IMing),
chat room exchanges, Web site posts, or digital messages or images
sent to a cellular phone or personal digital assistant”.
(olweus.org)
 e.g. Billy was also bullied by classmates online when a group of boys
“started a Facebook page called ‘Every One That Hates Billy Wolfe.’ ”
(Dan Barry, 2008)
http://www.cyberbullyingprotection.net/images/3114527.jpg
TYPES OF BULLYING IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS
3) Name calling or teasing
 “abusive language or insults”
(oxforddictionaries.com)
 e.g. “What begins as words, perhaps a taunt or name -calling, escalates
into pushing and shoving, which then may lead to a bloody nose, a black
eye, or even a broken bone”
(Chen, 2008)
http://churchfun.com/2008/12/02/teasing-hurts-what-to-do-about-it/
BACKGROUND RESEARCH 3: AFFECTS OF
BULLYING
Japan’s three top effects of bullying in schools:
1. Suicide
2. Depression
3. Hikikomori (social withdrawal)
(Gallagher,2008; Yoneyama,1999;
Uchida, 1993; Dziesinski, 2003; Taki,
2001; Furlong, 2008)
http://www.mytinyphone.com/wallpaper/209721/
EFFECTS OF BULLYING IN JAPANESE SCHOOLS
What are the effects of bullying in Japanese schools
１）Suicide
 Suicide is “the intentional taking of one's own life.”
(dictionary.com)
 e.g. “A 13–year–old student hanged himself and left a despairing
suicide note accusing several boys of having created a living hell
for him”.
http://www.zeitnews.org/images/stories/suicide431.jpg
( Naito & Gielen, 2005)
EFFECTS OF BULLYING IN JAPANESE SCHOOLS
２）Depression
 “severe despondency and dejection, typically felt over a period of time and
accompanied by feelings of hopelessness and inadequacy”
(oxforddictionaries.com)
e.g. “Overwhelmingly, suicide is an adult phenomenon —but not
exclusively, and the clinical depression that generally underlies it, … is
steadily trickling down the age scale”
(japantoday.com)
http://img148.imageshack.us/i/nanastarringmikanakashigh4.jpg/sr=1
EFFECTS OF BULLYING IN JAPANESE SCHOOLS
３） Hikikomori (Social Withdrawal)
 The definition of Hikikomori is a “state or condition of acute
social withdrawal, esp. among adolescents or young adults”
(dictionary.com)
e.g. Japanese students are “turning into modern hermits - never
leaving their rooms.”
( Rees, 2002)
http://rarelyknown.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/hikikomori.jpg
BACKGROUND RESEARCH 2: TYPE OF
BULLYING CONTINUED…
 America’s top three effects of bullying in schools:
1. Suicide
2. Depression
3. School shootings
(James, 2009; Toppo, 2009; Barry,
2008)
http://www.sodahead.com/fun/what-do-you-do-when-it-is-raining/question-1009033/?link=ibaf&imgurl=http://images1.fanpop.com/i
mages/photos/2200000/pon-n-zi-pon-and-zi-azuzephre-cartoons-2282093-349-500.jpg&q=pon%2Band%2Bzi%2Bumbrella
EFFECTS OF BULLYING IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS
 What are the effects of bullying in American schools?
１）Suicide
 e.g. “Eric Mohat, 17, was harassed so mercilessly in high school
that when one bully said publicly in class, ‘Why don't you go home
and shoot yourself, no one will miss you,’ he did”
(James, 2009)
http://designcrack.com/v2/wp-content/uploads/2007/01/just-do-it-blade.jpg
EFFECTS OF BULLYING IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS
２）Depression
 e.g. “Both bullies and their victims are more likely to suffer from
depression than youth who are not involved in bullying”
(bullyingstatistics.org, 2009)
http://www.elements4health.com/images/stories/conditions/depressed-teenager.jpg
EFFECTS OF BULLYING IN AMERICAN SCHOOLS
３）School shootings
 “In 2002, researchers presented their first findings: School
shooters, they said, followed no set profile, but most were
depressed and felt persecuted.” (Toppo, 2009)
 e.g. Columbine Shooting. Two boys shot and killed 13 before
themselves.
http://www.school-counselor.org/images/school-violence-prevention.jpg
RESEARCH METHOD
•Survey Participants
•Japanese college students: 51
• 34 female and 17 male
•American college students: 60
• 37 female and 23 male
•Age 18 – 24
•Data Collection Instrument
•Online Survey on Google Documents
Japanese Survey Link:http://tinyurl.com/5skmp7r
English Survey Link: http://tinyurl.com/5wdj5ws
SURVEY RESULTS
Research Question 1:What bullying (Ijime) problems
have occurred for the past decade in schools in Japan
and America?
R E S E A R C H Q U E S T I O N 1 : T Y P E S O F B U L LY I N G
H AV E YO U E V E R B E E N A V I C T I M O F B U L LY I N G AT S C H O O L ?
USA
Japan
No
30%
Yes
39%
Yes
70%
No
61%
Do you have a friend who has ever been bullied at school?
No
22%
No
33%
Yes
78%
Yes
67%
W H AT LE VE L OF SC H OOL W E RE YOU I N W H E N YOU W E RE
BULLI E D?
34.40%
Elementary School
31.50%
44.80%
Middle School
39.40%
6.80%
High School
Japan
26.30%
USA
6.80%
College
Other
2.63%
6.80%
0%
0%
5%
10%
15%
20%
25%
30%
35%
40%
45%
50%
T H E WAYS I N W H I C H YOU W E RE BULLI E D AT SC H OOL
45.00%
40.00%
35.00%
30.00%
25.00%
20.00%
USA
15.00%
10.00%
5.00%
0.00%
Other
Making
Physically
someone look at hurting someone
unwanted
images or
movies
Ignoring
someone
Internet Bullying
Threats
Stealing and Name calling or
hiding objects
teasing
Japan
SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS QUESTION 1
 In the past decade many Japanese and American students have
been bullied or have a friend who has been bullied
 The bullying in Japan lessens by high school while in America
bullying does not decrease until college
 Name calling and teasing occurs most often in both countries
 In Japan being ignored occurs often
 In America Physical violence occurs often
S U RV E Y R E S U LT S
Research Question 2:What are the causes and effects
of bullying in Japan and the US?
WHY DO YOU THINK YOU WERE
BULLIED?
USA Male
Japanese Male
USA Female
Japanese Female
“I was kind of a
loner”
“I had a small
physique”
“I’m fat”
“I’m fat”
“Jealousy”
“I was a flirt”
“I was a tomboy”
“Transferred/ new
kid”
“my race”
“I didn’t listen to the “I am a nerd”
leader”
“bullies rotate
victims”
“I was too nice”
I don’t know
“Spoke a different
dialect”
“I thought
differently”
The reasons why people think they are bullied vary greatly.
Only one answer matched the group.
WHY DID YOU BULLY?
USA Male
Japanese Male
USA Female
Japanese Female
“emotional reasons”
“emotional reasons”
“give them a taste of “emotional reasons”
their own medicine”
“I was bored”
“other people did it
too”
“stress”
“other people did it
too”
“peer pressure”
“didn’t like the
person”
“peer pressure”
“I was bullied”
“problems at home”
The responses for why people bullied are very similar.
Do you know or have you heard of anyone committing
suicide because of being bullied at school?
USA
Japan
Yes
33%
No
48%
Yes
52%
No
67%
Do you know or have you heard of anyone becoming hikikomori
(Isolated from the world by refusing to leave the home) because of being bullied?
Yes
7%
Yes
43%
No
57%
No
93%
D O YOU KN OW OR H AV E H E A R D OF A N YONE B E I N G B U L L I E D ;
T H RE ATEN TO BOM B OR SH OOT AT T H E SC H OOL?
USA
Japan
Yes
8%
Yes
30%
No
70%
No
92%
http://vanessawest.tripod.com/columbine.jpg
SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS QUESTION 2
 There are various reasons for why people think they were bullied
 Bullies in America and Japan have many similarities for why they
bully (Emotional reasons being number one)
 American students know more cases about suicide and school
threats because of bullying
 Japanese students know more cases about isolation because of
bullying
SURVEY RESULTS 3
Research Question 3: To what extent are the school
system and parents trying to solve this problem in
Japan and the US?
AS OF NOW , DO YOU THINK PARENTS AND
EDUCATORS ARE DOING ENOUGH TO STOP BULLYING
AT SCHOOL?
USA
Japan
Yes
6%
Yes
12%
No
88%
No
94%
http://militaryschools.us/wp-content/uploads/2010/12/School-Discipline.jpg
WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THE CURRENT
STATE OF BULLYING AT SCHOOLS?
n
1
2
3
4
5
93% Americans think bullying is an average to huge problem
69% Japanese think bullying is an average to huge problem
WHAT SHOULD BE DONE TO STOP BULLYING?
USA Male
Japan Male
Discipline bullies
more severely
Child-Parent
communication
Parents need to
control their kids
Awareness
USA Female
Japan Female
I can't imagine anything
could stop it from
happening.
Get kids who might be
prone to bullying into
activities like sports,
clubs.
discipline children
Bullying won't go
away
Pay more attention
guidance for teachers
good parenting
teach about bullying
at school
Punishments being
told to students
kids have to become
mentally stronger
Raise awareness
I don't know
SUMMARY OF THE RESULTS QUESTION 3
 Both Japanese students and American Students do not think
parents and educators are doing enough to stop bullying
 American students worry about bullying more than Japanese
students
 In both America and Japan students think that the best ways
to solve bullying are to implement more discipline for
bullies and have parents talk to their children. Sadly in both
countries a handful of female participants do no think
bullying can be stopped
CONCLUSION
 Surprisingly, Japanese people do not view themselves as being
bullied as much as Americans do
 Japanese bully mentally by ignoring people while in America
we bully physically
 In Japan the students are so busy studying for exams that
bullying stops by high school
 Americans have more free time to bully people because there
are no exams to get into high school so we continue bullying
until the end of high school
 Bullies in both countries bully because they are lonely
 In order to stop bullying we have to be more strict with bullies
and parents need to talk with their children
BIBLIOGRAPHY
 Uchida, R. (1993). Ijime no nekko: the source of abuse. Art Village 2100.
 Denmark, F. , Gielen, U. , Krauss, H. (2006). Violence in Schools: Cross -national and
Cross-cultural Perspectives. Dordrecht: Springer -Verlag New York Inc.
 Yoneyama, S. (1999). The Japanese High School: Silence and Resistance. London:
Routledge.
 Yoneyama, S., & Naito, A. (2003). Problems with the paradigm: the school as a
factor in understanding bullying (with special reference to japan). Taylor & Francis.
 Coyl, D.D. (2009). Kids really are different these days. Phi Delta Kappa
International.
 Farrington, D.P. (1993). Understanding and preventing bullying. The University of
Chicago Press.
 Salmon, G., James, A., & Smith, D.M. (1998). Bullying in schools: self reported
anxiety, depression, and self esteem in secondary school. BMJ Publishing Group.
 Atlas, R.S., & Pepler, D.J. (1998). Observations of bullying in the classroom. Taylor
& Francis.
 Bush, Z. (2009). Ijime: educational hinderance and social illness of japan.
 Bullying statistics 2009. (2009). Retrieved from
http://www.bullyingstatistics.org/content/bullying-statistics-2009.html
 Naito, T., & Gielen, U. (2005). Bullying and ijime in japanese schools a sociocultural
perspective. Springer eBook.
 Burton, C.B. (1986). Children's peer relationships. . ERIC Clearinghouse on
Elementary and Early Childhood Education, Retrieved from
http://www.ericdigests.org/pre-923/peer.htm
CONTINUED
 Dziesinski, M. (2003). Hikikomori: investigations into the phenomenon of acute
social withdrawl in contemporary japan. Michael Dziesinski.
 Taki, M. (2001). Japanese school bullying: ijime - a survey and an intervention
program in school -. Canada
 Furlong, A. (2008). The japanese hikikomori phenomenon: acute social withdrawal
among young people.
 Gallagher, P. (2008, February). Gallagher, p. (2008). one japanese suicide every 15
minutes. . Retrieved from
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/feb/24/japan.mentalhealth
 No letup in suicide rate. (2010, June 10). Retrieved from
http://search.japantimes.co.jp/cgi-bin/ed20100610a2.html
 Barry, D. (2008, March 24). A boy the bullies love to beat up, repeatedly . Retrieved
from http://www.nytimes.com/2008/03/24/us/24land.html
 Toppo, G. (2009, April 14). 0 years later, the real story behind columbine. Retrieved
from http://www.usatoday.com/news/nation/2009-04-13-columbine-myths_N.htm
 James, S.D. (2009, April 2). Teen commits suicide due to bullying: parents sue
school for son's death. Retrieved from
http://abcnews.go.com/Health/MindMoodNews/story?id=7228335
 Japan Today, . (n.d.). Children's depression and suicide a worsening problem.
Retrieved from http://www.japantoday.com/category/kuchikomi/view/childrensdepression-and-suicide-a-worsening-problem
 Rees, P. (2002, October 20). Japan: the missing million. Retrieved from
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/programmes/correspondent/2334893.stm
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS
 My Advisors : Dr. Shigeko Sekine & Dr. Yoshiko Saito -Abbott
 My friends who support me: Okuda Shinpei, Jonathan Tamashiro,
Melissa Cramoline, Kelly Stone & Chesca Brazil
 My loving family: mom, dad, and my two sisters