Undercover Anti-bullying Team: An Alternative Approach to Bullying in Japan

Abstract

This study examined the processes adopted by Japan's first undercover anti-bullying team (UABT). Based on narrative therapy, the anti-bullying project was conducted at a public elementary school for 36 days to eliminate bullying, motivated by a bullying incident involving an 11-year-old female student. Her classmates, including two bullies who were selected as UABT members, accomplished their mission by creating and conducting plans against bullying, holding frequent meetings to adjust the plans, and attempting to amend conflicted classroom relationships that could encourage bullying. The mission effectively eliminated the occurrence of bullying after six days, indicating that the UABT could effectively eliminate bullying through playful learning. Accordingly, it encouraged the children to resolve such serious problems, empowered agencies in students that may have been previously subordinated, and deconstructed dominant discourses related to bullying. Its limitations include its secrecy aspects and the potential risk to call out other classmates.