Bullying of lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) students is at ¡°epidemic¡± levels in Japanese schools, exacerbated by government¡¯s failure to institute effective policies, inadequate teacher training and strong gender segregation, New York-based Human Rights Watch said in a report released Friday.

Titled the 84-page report said LGBT students routinely suffer harassment, threats and violence in a nation where prejudices against sexual minorities remain alive in the school yard.

HRW said the government is largely to blame for this, turning a blind eye to the root cause of bullying and blandly pushing instead for an ill-defined ¡°climate of harmony¡± in schools in which everyone lives by the rules.