The number of public school teachers in Japan who have taken leave due to mental health disorders has risen to a record 6,539, according to the Japan Times.

Mental health disorders refer to a wide range of mental health conditions – disorders that affect mood, thinking and behaviour. Examples of such disorders include depression, anxiety disorders, schizophrenia, eating disorders, and the development of certain addictions.

The increase is 642 from the previous year, the second consecutive annual increase.

According to Japan’s Education Ministry, the number of teachers who took leave due to mental illness has hovered around 5,000 in recent years, but has risen by more than 1,300 in the two years since 2020, when the coronavirus outbreak began.

Education experts say the increase is due to both an increased workload due to the pandemic and an increase in complaints from students’ parents.

Teacher shortages are a major problem in Japan as young people shy away from the profession, which is seen as time-consuming, experts say, and the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology has pledged to reform teaching styles. work

By age group, the largest number of teachers taking such leave were in their 30s, 1,867, followed by 1,786 teachers in their 50s, 1,598 in their 40s and 1,288 in their 20s.

In addition, the number of teachers punished or convicted of sexual assault was 242, remaining above 200 for the 10th consecutive year, with male teachers making up 98% of the total.

Of these, 119 were punished for sexual relations with students, fornication or voyeurism. About 30% of misconduct cases occurred during working hours, including breaks.

The number of teachers punished for using corporal punishment, another serious problem involving teachers in Japan, was 397, an increase of 54 cases.