Raising concerns about the dietary habits of children, a health ministry report released Wednesday says that roughly 40 percent of the nation's elementary and junior high school students eat breakfast without their parents.
According to research by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry, the percentage of first- to third-grade elementary school students who eat breakfast alone or only with siblings was 40.9 percent in 2005, up sharply from 27.4 percent in 1993.
For fourth- to sixth-graders it was 40.3 percent, up 7.7 points from 1993, and for junior high school it was 42.5 percent students, up 0.4 point.
A ministry official said this could lead to poor eating habits in children.