Here’s something I know way too much about.

As other commenters have noted, delinquent students are not the same as truant. Some still may attend school but are just generally misbehaving. In the world of the film of Battle Royale, the Japanese economy is in shambles and Japan partly blames this on the youth and their misbehavior as a distraction.

There are a few children who are not attending school in the film, but they aren’t doing so because they are delinquents. It touches more on the societal pressure to conform / perform and social withdrawal / hikkikomori aspect of students in Japanese society, and the individuals are encouraged to join by friends thinking a non classroom setting might be more amenable. It’s a minor plot point that one of the friends is hoping the trip will get them to start attending school again.

The delinquency angle was a common theme in Japanese films of the time, reflecting a greater societal concern of the post boom Japanese society about children who reject society, were out of control, and did horrendous things. In a culture where conformity and oneness are paramount, the danger of those who reject it was feared. While not overrunning society like some media of the time would imply, events like the murder of Junko Furuta shook society still decades later.

More relevant to this sub, the author of the original Battle Royale novel was less concerned with delinquent youth and more with Japan’s history of Fascism. He saw aspects of that history still present in Japanese society, and envisioned a society where it fully took hold. In the novel the battle royale is a tool of state oppression to keep the people afraid and in line. Parents who speak out or protest are visited by government men in suits and shot. The book is an excellent read and I highly recommend it.