The Diet enacted a law Friday aimed at preventing bullying in elementary, junior high and high schools by basically compelling the institutions to report serious cases.
The legislation was established after widespread reporting on incidents in which bullying led to students taking their own life, including the October 2011 suicide of a junior high school boy in Otsu, Shiga Prefecture, who had been severely bullied.
Both the city and the school, shortly after the death was belatedly reported, denied that bullying led to the suicide. They grudgingly later admitted it was the cause and apologized.