Reports of student violence at public elementary schools rose by 128 cases to a total of 2,018 in 2005, setting a new record for the third-consecutive school year, a report released Wednesday by the education ministry says.
According to the report, titled "Research on Problematic Behavior," assaults on teaching staff rose 38 percent to 464 cases from a year ago.
"Cases are increasing where schools are unable to take appropriate action after the first incident, and (the student) repeats," the violence, said an official at the Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry.
Violence at public junior high schools meanwhile came to 23,115 cases, almost unchanged from 23,110, while violence at senior high schools edged up to 5,150 cases from 5,022.
The combined total of 30,000 cases, however, is almost unchanged from the previous year.