https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20261104/p2a/00m/0na/002000c

 

 

 

Japanese man thanks parents for openly discussing his 9 years of school refusal

November 4, 2026 (Mainichi Japan)

Japanese version

Shigenobu Ito, left, speaks about his experiences with school refusal during his elementary and junior high school years as his mother, Nobuko Ito, looks on in Morioka on Oct. 17, 2026. (Mainichi/Hideyuki Yamada)

MORIOKA -- A 21-year-old man who did not attend school for all nine years of elementary and junior high school recently joined his mother at an event in this northeastern Japan city marking the release of a book telling the family's story, expressing gratitude for his parents' support throughout those years.

Shigenobu Ito, now an office worker, reflected at the event in Morioka on Oct. 17, "It meant a lot that my mother and father accepted my decision not to go to school and continued to support me."

The book, "Shiawasena Futoko" (Happy school refusal), published by Art Shuppan, was written by Shigenobu's 52-year-old mother, Nobuko Ito, who lives in Shizukuishi, Iwate Prefecture. In it she recounts how she and her husband supported their four children through a combined total of more than 15 years of school refusal.

Shigenobu stopped attending kindergarten shortly after he enrolled. Shy and unable to fit in, he would become pale and develop fevers whenever he attended. He left after just two weeks.

Believing elementary school would be no different, he never attended either elementary or junior high school.

Even so, he enjoyed reading books borrowed from the local library. In fourth grade, he joined a local youth baseball team and interacted with children his age. During his junior high school years, he also competed in a trail-running event outside the prefecture.

Through online gaming, which he began playing during junior high years, he discussed future careers and educational paths with peers. Those conversations led him to feel that it was time to take action, prompting him to consider taking high school entrance exams.

After enrolling, he attended both high school and vocational school without missing a single day. He said he was able to persevere because "it was my own decision to go." This spring, he started working for a design company in Tokyo.

Reflecting on his parents' support, Shigenobu said he was grateful that his parents proudly told others that their child was not attending school, having made the decision not to go.

According to a fiscal 2024 survey by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, about 354,000 elementary and junior high school students nationwide were classified as chronically absent from school.

Nobuko said, "Many people are hurting because of school refusal, but it remains difficult to talk about it publicly, leaving many feeling isolated. I hope to encourage others by sharing our family's experience."

(Japanese original by Hideyuki Yamada, Morioka Bureau)