A record number of teachers at Japanese public schools took leave for depression or other mental health problems in the year to March, an Education Ministry survey showed.

The figure, at 4,178, was triple what it was 10 years ago and comes as pressure mounts on education authorities to resolve problems such as bullying and excessive stress due to rote learning.

Japan enacted a law on Friday aimed at injecting more patriotism and discipline into schools but critics say it would do little to fix such problems.

A ministry official attributed the survey’s findings to teachers suffering from heavier workloads and difficulties in relationships with colleagues and students’ parents, Kyodo news agency said.

Those citing depression or other mental health issues comprised of 60 percent of the total number of teachers who had taken leave from work.

The survey also showed that of 4,086 teachers who were punished in the year to March, 67 cases involved singing the national anthem and saluting the national flag.

In Tokyo, a number of teachers have lost jobs or have been denied positions at schools for refusing to stand facing the flag and sing the national anthem at school events.

Both the anthem and the national flag are seen by some as symbols of Japan’s past military aggression in the 1930s and 1940s and resistance to them remains strong among some groups, especially the left-leaning teachers’ union.