The number of teachers at public schools in Japan who were disciplined for sexual misconduct in fiscal 2019 stood at 273, the second-highest figure on record, according to a survey by the education ministry.
The figure, only nine less than the record high set in the ministry's study for fiscal 2018, includes 126 cases involving their students or former students who were still under 18 years old.
"It is extremely serious that our measures have not improved the situation," a ministry official said Tuesday, adding it will call on education boards across the country to strictly enforce preventative measures such as banning private interactions between teachers and their students on social media.