The tally, up 73 from the previous year, showed that teachers who tend to endure long working hours made up the majority of the demotion seekers -- 89 teachers who assist principals and vice principals and 84 vice principals, according to the survey by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology.

As reasons for returning to lower positions, 95 teachers, or 53 percent of the total, cited health issues, including psychological ones, while 44, or 25 percent, were affected by problems regarding their job responsibilities, and 40, or 22 percent, cited family affairs.

A ministry official said it is necessary to introduce a system that will curb burdens on teachers in management positions.

Meanwhile, the number of teachers recognized as "lacking in teaching capabilities" by education boards fell for the fourth straight year to 306 in the reporting year.

Among them, teachers with more than 20 years of experience accounted for 60 percent of the total. Elementary school teachers made up 55 percent of those lacking in teaching skills, followed by junior high school teachers at 23 percent and high school teachers at 16 percent.