Japanese Teachers Struggle to Find Time as School Refusal Reaches Record Levels

Teachers want to help, but their schedules leave little room

A nationwide survey of 293 elementary and junior high school teachers in Japan found that 86.3 percent considered it very difficult or somewhat difficult to make time to support children who had stopped attending school. Meeting students, talking with parents and making follow up calls were among the tasks squeezed by other duties.

A nonprofit national network supporting children who refuse to attend school conducted the online survey from February to June, with cooperation from teacher unions and related organizations. It sought to understand how teachers were managing as cases of nonattendance continued to rise year after year.

The most common answer about average daily time available to communicate with each student outside class was 10 minutes or less, given by 42.5 percent of respondents. Another 19.6 percent reported 10 to 20 minutes, while 16.8 percent reported 20 to 30 minutes.

The network described the share reporting 10 minutes or less as alarming. Administrative work and other responsibilities were crowding out the individual attention needed to recognize difficulties early and maintain contact with children who were struggling to attend.

Japan recorded 353,970 elementary and junior high school students experiencing school refusal in fiscal 2024, which ended in March 2025. That was the twelfth consecutive annual increase. The survey places a practical problem alongside that rising total: teachers are expected to help children reconnect with learning, but many lack time for the repeated conversations such support requires.

For a child who finds school overwhelming, a conversation with a trusted adult can be an early step toward seeking help. Teachers must fit those conversations around lessons, marking, paperwork and responsibilities for other students. The survey describes how limited that space has become.

School refusal now affects hundreds of thousands of children

Japan uses the term futoko for extended nonattendance unrelated to sickness or financial hardship. The education ministry defines the category as children missing 30 or more school days in a year because of psychological, emotional, physical or social factors.

The number of elementary and junior high school students in this category reached 346,482 in 2023 before rising to 353,970 in fiscal 2024. Those figures represent an increase of 7,488 children. The latest total was about 3.7 percent of children in primary and secondary schools.

More than half of the children experiencing school refusal missed over 90 days, and a small share had no attendance at all. High schools recorded another 67,782 students who did not attend in fiscal 2024.

Long absences make maintaining contact especially important. Children can lose daily routines, opportunities to learn and regular contact with classmates. Support therefore involves more than recording missed days: it requires finding a setting and pace at which a child can participate again.

Several developments show how the attendance problem and the policy response have unfolded:

• In 2023, elementary and junior high school nonattendance reached 346,482, and the education ministry introduced the COCOLO Plan.
• From April 2024, high school students could earn credits through approved online classes.
• Fiscal 2024, ending in March 2025, recorded 353,970 elementary and junior high school students experiencing school refusal.
• By February 2025, 35 Diversified Learning Schools were operating.
• From February to June 2025, the nonprofit network surveyed 293 teachers nationwide.
• On October 27, the network discussed its findings at a press conference at the education ministry.

Child mental health adds to the pressure on schools

Japan ranked near the top for physical health in a recent UNICEF review of wellbeing in developed countries, yet placed 32nd for mental wellbeing. The country also recorded 529 child and teenage suicides in 2024, its highest total.

Schools logged 769,022 bullying cases in fiscal 2024. Of those, 1,405 were serious enough to cause major harm to body or mind. Officials said most bullying cases had been resolved by the end of the year, but handling such incidents adds to the demands on teachers and other school staff.

Children experiencing anxiety, bullying or strained relationships at school may find attendance increasingly difficult. Teachers must respond to those individual circumstances while also managing the wider responsibilities of keeping classrooms safe and supporting student wellbeing.

The physical health and mental wellbeing rankings describe different parts of children's lives. Good physical health can exist alongside emotional distress. Japan's attendance figures sit within that wider picture of children needing support with how they feel, their relationships and their experience of school.

Pandemic disruption and everyday school pressures

Research tracking school refusal before and after the COVID-19 pandemic found an increase following school closures and prolonged disruption. Studies following children over time connected broken routines, reduced contact with peers and social isolation with greater anxiety and depression.

Families also faced pressures that could make children's difficulties worse. Job loss and mental health struggles among caregivers added stress at home. Remote learning widened gaps between children who had access to devices and quiet places to study and those who did not, leaving vulnerable students further behind and more likely to disengage.

Pandemic disruption added to pressures already present in school life. Once children began avoiding school, returning to ordinary routines could become difficult.

Many families and teachers point to long school days, a strong focus on test results and strict rules. Classes with student numbers in the mid 30s leave limited room for individual attention. Club activities often extend into afternoons and weekends, with intense expectations to keep up.

Some sensitive children may find classrooms intimidating, particularly after bullying or difficult interactions with adults. Avoiding school can become a way to cope with anxiety, even while the absence damages learning and friendships.

Children respond differently to these pressures. Taken together, however, the experiences help explain why school refusal has continued to rise while Japan's population of children of school age has been falling.

Long working hours leave less time for individual support

Japanese teachers work very long hours compared with their counterparts in many other countries. Surveys place them at or near the top internationally for total weekly working hours.

Many teachers report unpaid overtime that can exceed 80 hours a month, a threshold labor experts regard as dangerous. Time recording systems often miss work completed after teachers clock out or take tasks home.

Club supervision adds practices, events and weekend duties to lesson preparation, grading and daily classroom management. When a student stops attending, teachers must also document absences, contact the family and coordinate support.

A recent count put the nationwide teacher shortfall at about 2,778. The number of applicants taking teacher recruitment examinations has declined, and more experienced teachers are stepping away because of health concerns.

Public schools recorded a record 5,897 leaves of absence for mental health reasons in 2021. Elementary school teachers can be particularly stretched because full responsibility for a homeroom often comes early in their careers.

The survey found that 11.8 percent of respondents had taken leave because of mental illness linked to the burdens of their duties. Staff shortages and illness can feed a cycle in which fewer teachers carry more work, leaving still less time to build trust with children who are absent.

Paperwork and other duties fill the gaps between lessons

Teachers handle attendance records, meeting notes and incident reports alongside classroom instruction. They monitor bullying, manage food allergies and safety procedures, support children with special needs, answer parents' concerns and coordinate with local agencies.

Many schools also expect teachers to visit homes in serious cases. Each responsibility serves a purpose, but together they reduce the time available for sustained contact with children who are no longer coming to school.

Support for school refusal often requires repeated, calm conversations with the child and family, careful planning and coordination among adults. A teacher may need to understand what feels difficult, agree on a manageable next step and check how that step went.

The finding that 42.5 percent of respondents had 10 minutes or less per student outside class shows why such work is hard to fit into an ordinary day. Brief contact can maintain a connection, while a detailed support plan needs time for listening, discussion and cooperation.

Protected time for family contact and case meetings would give these responsibilities a place in the working week. Additional staff and simpler administrative procedures would also reduce the competing demands that teachers described.

Free schools are welcomed, but teachers need more information

Free schools offer alternative learning spaces for children who do not attend regular school. Often run by nonprofits or local groups, they sit outside compulsory school settings and allow children to learn, rebuild routines and regain confidence at their own pace.

In the survey, 97.3 percent of teachers said it was good that free schools existed. Yet 73.3 percent said they lacked knowledge about them, and 84.7 percent said training on school refusal needed stronger content.

Teachers can welcome an option while still needing practical information about how it operates. Understanding referral arrangements and how to share information with families would help schools connect children with suitable support when returning to a regular classroom is not immediately possible.

Free schools vary, as do other flexible learning programs. Their shared role is to give children another way to remain engaged with learning, with safe surroundings, predictable routines and realistic goals.

Flexible public schools and online classes offer other routes

The education ministry introduced the COCOLO Plan in 2023 to ensure that children could keep learning without anyone being left behind. One part of that policy is the expansion of Diversified Learning Schools, public institutions designed for students who struggle with traditional schedules and settings.

These schools provide the same graduation qualifications as regular schools while using more flexible approaches. By February 2025, 35 were operating, against a goal of 300.

Programs can combine structured schedules with opportunities to learn at an individual pace. They also include individual reflection sessions with teachers and activities that develop social and communication skills.

High schools have expanded flexible options in other ways. Since April 2024, students have been able to earn credits through approved online classes, allowing learning to count toward their school qualification without requiring every lesson to take place in a conventional classroom.

N High School, a private institution, has grown to more than 30,000 students. It offers courses with attendance in person, online and through virtual commuter arrangements.

Those formats give students who struggle in conventional settings opportunities to continue studying, make friends and join clubs in ways that work for them. Flexible programs still depend on adults understanding each child's needs and helping them establish a workable routine.

Policy proposals focus on staffing, time and coordination

The COCOLO Plan calls for schools to work closely with families, communities and outside organizations so that children have several ways to reconnect with learning. Its support network includes schools, free schools, counselors and healthcare providers.

The plan also calls for inclusive school environments where children feel safe and connected. That brings everyday classroom experience into the response, alongside arrangements for children who are already absent.

Proposals from education specialists and advocates include hiring more teachers, adding school social workers and counselors, reducing class sizes where absenteeism is most severe, and simplifying paperwork. They also call for protected time for family outreach and case meetings.

Moving club management to community groups and coaches would release some of the hours teachers currently spend supervising activities. Local governments often cannot expand staffing on their own, making central funding and clear standards important to carrying out changes.

Schools and districts can organize practical support around the following actions:

• Reserve time each week for teachers to contact families, meet students and coordinate support plans.
• Add an attendance liaison or school social worker to track cases and assist teachers.
• Train homeroom teachers on school refusal, anxiety and gradual return plans.
• Create clear referrals to health services and free schools, supported by simple information sheets for families.
• Agree on individual return plans using short visits, flexible schedules and regular contact.
• Reduce class sizes in grades and schools with the highest nonattendance rates.
• Transfer daily club management to community coaches and organizations.
• Track absences, contact attempts and outcomes to identify what is working.
• Provide confidential mental health support for teachers and make seeking help an accepted practice.
• Give families current information about Diversified Learning Schools and online credit options.

Training needs to turn awareness into practical help

Studies comparing mental health education in schools across Asian countries found that Japan includes mental health topics in health education from grade 5 through grade 10. Researchers also identified the absence of a single core mental health policy guiding schools across all grades.

Practical skills, including mental health first aid for students and staff, were another gap. Mental health first aid means recognizing that someone may be struggling and knowing how to offer initial support and direct them toward appropriate help.

The survey finding that 84.7 percent of teachers wanted stronger training on school refusal fits that need for usable skills. Classroom strategies, clear referral procedures and ways to work with families can help teachers respond when time is limited.

Education researchers also urge attention to the daily atmosphere children experience. Negative interactions with peers or adults can leave students feeling unsafe. An approach informed by trauma uses steady routines, predictable responses and recognition of children's feelings to make small steps back into school more manageable.

Teachers need guidance on easing classroom anxiety, setting realistic goals and working with counselors and parents as a team. Time and training work together: staff need to know what support to offer and have room in their schedules to provide it without adding pressure to the child.

Parents and schools are being urged to work together

Michiyo Nakamura, representative director of the national network, spoke at the education ministry press conference on October 27. Drawing on two decades as an elementary and special needs teacher and her experience as a parent, she called for cooperation between families and schools.

The issue of school refusal has long been considered in the context of an antagonistic structure of parents versus schools, but they should be partners to watch over children together. Unless there is an environment where teachers can work vigorously, children won't be able to enjoy their school life.

Kageki Asakura, a member of the network secretariat, warned that teachers, who play an essential role in school refusal cases, were being pushed to the edge. He called for more teachers and broader measures to reduce pressure on schools.

We want it widely known in society that an environment where teachers can work comfortably is needed, including for addressing school refusal.

Parents need clear points of contact, honest conversations about their child's difficulties and reassurance that teachers are continuing to seek ways to help. Early contact when attendance starts to slip, less stigma around school refusal and joint problem solving can build that trust.

Community organizations and nonprofits can connect families with counseling, mentoring, free schools and activities after school. Japan's civil society already supports children through these kinds of services, while national organizations supporting nonprofits help local groups develop their work and connect with schools.

Municipalities can strengthen those relationships through shared directories, common referral forms and regular meetings between school staff and community providers. Having connections in place before a crisis reduces the time teachers spend looking for help and leaves more time for the child.

The survey's central concern is practical: teachers broadly support alternative learning and want better training, yet their working conditions restrict their ability to act. Helping children stay connected with education requires support for the adults responsible for reaching them.

Key Points

• Of 293 teachers surveyed nationwide, 86.3 percent said finding time to support children experiencing school refusal was difficult.
• The most common daily communication time outside class was 10 minutes or less per student, reported by 42.5 percent.
• Some 11.8 percent had taken leave for mental illness linked to the burdens of their duties.
• Elementary and junior high school nonattendance reached 353,970 in fiscal 2024, the twelfth consecutive annual increase. High schools recorded 67,782 cases.
• Schools recorded 769,022 bullying cases in fiscal 2024, including 1,405 involving major harm to body or mind.
• Free schools were welcomed by 97.3 percent of respondents, but 73.3 percent lacked knowledge about them and 84.7 percent wanted stronger training on school refusal.
• The COCOLO Plan supports flexible learning and cooperation with families and outside organizations. There were 35 Diversified Learning Schools by February 2025, with a goal of 300.
• Proposed responses include more staff, protected time for outreach, simpler paperwork, practical training and stronger connections with community support.