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Discipline |  |
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The condition of Japanese families is a major topic of concern for Japanese educators. Schools link student problems (e.g., juvenile delinquency, lack of motivation, emotional troubles) to problems in the family. Recently the Japanese media has focused on the rising incidence of bullying and linked bullying to the decline in family size. With smaller and smaller families (there are less than two children per Japanese couple on average), students have fewer siblings. Many Japanese also argue that the low birthrate has had another effect: parents are too emotionally attached to their children to discipline them sternly. Teachers in particular expressed frustration at the lack of upbringing (shitsuke) exhibited in most Japanese homes. When asked how student behavior had changed over the last twenty years, a senior teacher said: "That's difficult. Well, getting angry. When parents get angry or scold children, well children used to say 'I'm sorry' and reflect on what they did wrong. Now, they aren't used to being scolded. The number of children in each family is decreasing, parents pamper their kids, and they don't scold them. (Meiji teacher)" Teachers were adamant that parents needed to take a stricter approach in raising children, particularly in inculcating basic manners. Public conduct and poor upbringing were linked together by several respondents.
Source: The Educational System in Japan: Case Study Findings, 1998, U.S. Department of Education
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