Tōkōkyohi (登校拒否) has become an increasingly prominent issue in Japan since the 1980s. Official figures showed that there were 84,026, or 1.9% of Japanese middle school students suffering from tōkōkyohi in 1997 . However, tōkōkyohi, which is classified as form of “school non-attendance”, does not appear to be a problem that is unique to Japan. A similar form of “school non-attendance” affects less than 1% of the student population in Britain, which has the situation under control . In contrast, tōkōkyohi appears to be more problematic than the Japanese government wishes to acknowledge. Official Japanese figures appear to be artificially deflated as they do not account for tōkōkyohi sufferers who have special schooling arrangements …show more content…
Traditionally, the nation of Japan has been viewed as a giant family unit with the Emperor at the core . A common reverence for the Emperor unifies the numerous disparate Japanese families into a giant family unit . The Emperor enjoyed an exalted status despite his ceremonial position and reliance on officials to handle state affairs . Officials are expected to comply with the Emperor’s subtle demands in a dynamic relationship that embodies the concept of amae . Such reverence can be traced back to before the Tokugawa period [1603-1868 CE] and continues even today …show more content…
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