Nishiyama (1996) states that one of the most shocking bullying incidents to receive extensive media coverage in Japanese society occurred in 1986 with the suicide of an eighth grader in Nakano Ward, Tokyo. Hirofumi Shikagawa killed himself, leaving a note that his schoolmates had tormented him. It was reported that Shikagawa was constantly ridiculed, humiliated, and beaten. The bullies had in the past doodled mustaches on his face with felt markers and forced him to climb a tree and sing a song while his classmates witnessed his humiliation. Looking at interactions among Japanese school children,