News in Easy English: Man thanks parents for help when he did not go to school for 9 years

Morioka -- Shigenobu Ito, 21, did not attend any schooling for nine years. He did not go to elementary or junior high school. On October 17th, he attended an event in Morioka with his mother, Nobuko. The event was for a new book about their family. Shigenobu said that it was important his parents supported his decision not to go to school.

The book is called "Shiawasena Futoko," which means "Happy school refusal." Nobuko wrote the book herself, living in Shizukuishi, Iwate Prefecture. In the book, she shares how she and her husband raised their four children who did not attend school for over 15 years, a condition known as school refusal. Shigenobu stopped attending kindergarten after two weeks because he felt uncomfortable and sick.

He had also feared that elementary school would be the same. However, he loved reading books from the local library. When he reached the age for fourth grade, he joined a local baseball team for kids. There, he met other children his age and started playing online games in his junior high years. These interactions led him to consider high school entrance exams.

After entering high school, he never missed a single day of school or vocational training. Shigenobu thanks his parents for their support, emphasizing that they saw his choice to not go to school as his own decision. In a recent survey, the education ministry reported about 354,000 elementary and junior high school students in Japan were also not attending school.

Nobuko expressed that many people suffer from school refusal, but it remains difficult to discuss openly, making them feel isolated. She hopes sharing their family story can help others.