The number of reported bullying incidents in Japan surged to a record level in 2007, a Ministry of Justice (MOJ) report on human rights violations has shown.

Of the 21,506 human rights violations fielded by legal affairs bureaus and other bodies across the nation, 2,152 were related to school bullying, far surpassing the 973 incidents reported the previous year, a previous record figure.

The Ministry of Justice's human rights bureau said that the increase in reported bullying incidents was a result of efforts to assess the extent of bullying, including the creation of a toll-free hotline for child victims of human rights abuse in February 2007.

Also on the rise were online privacy violations and defamation, with 418 incidents reported, a 48.2 percent increase compared with the previous year. A total of 600 child abuse cases were reported -- a 12.4 percent increase.

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