NHK has learned that a shortage of school teachers in Japan is becoming increasingly serious.

The Japanese public broadcaster surveyed the education boards of local governments across the country to find out more about the teacher shortage at elementary, junior high and senior high schools as well as special needs schools.

Among them, 43 local governments had the latest numbers on teacher shortages in September. NHK compared the figures with those in May, which is soon after the beginning of the school year in April.

The results show that schools under the 43 local governments were short of 2,397 teachers in total as of September. The figure is up 589 from May, marking a 1.3-fold increase in just four months.

The local governments say the main reason for the shortage is that they have difficulty finding substitutes to replace teachers who take childcare, maternity or medical leave.

Some municipal officials noted that vice principals and other administrative staff are trying to fill the void by taking on teaching duties themselves. Others pointed out that fewer people want to sign up for part-time teaching jobs.

The Chiba prefectural education agency oversees schools in Chiba Prefecture excluding Chiba City. It is short of 94 teachers, the highest number in the country. The agency's senior personnel officer said it is working hard to swiftly dispatch substitute teachers to avoid disruptions in learning.

He also said the agency will continue exploring measures to recruit more teachers.