FEATURE: As school absentees increase, Japanese dads turn to izakaya support group

EBINA, Japan - In Japan's izakaya pubs, people drink and discuss the usual topics including sports and politics. But one group of fathers on the outskirts of Tokyo drinks beer while talking about the fact that their children don't want to go to school.

One Saturday evening at the end of September, eight men gathered at an izakaya, each nursing a drink and taking turns telling the group the latest updates about their kids who refuse to go to school.