Suicides Increase in Japan Since July

There were 1,798 suicides in Japan in November 2020, according to a preliminary figure from a National Police Agency report. This is an 11.3% increase compared to the same period the previous year. Over the 10-year period from 2010 through 2019, suicides had been on a consecutive decline and this was still the case in the first half of 2020 from January to June. However, the number has been continuously increasing over the five months since July. The cumulative number of suicides from January to November 2020 was 19,101, a rise of 426 compared to the same period in 2019.

In November, there were 1,169 suicides by men, a year-on-year increase of 83, and 629 by women, up 99 from November 2019. Tokyo had the largest number by prefecture with 198, followed by Kanagawa with 116, Saitama with 107, Aichi with 103, Chiba with 93, and Fukuoka with 90.

The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare says that in many cases people feel driven to kill themselves because of social issues that can be addressed, so the government is promoting comprehensive suicide prevention measures involving health, medical care, welfare, education, labor, and other fields. It has set up a website that tells people ways to seek out help, such as through telephone hotlines and services on Line and other social media. The site also provides easy-to-understand information about the measures the government is taking.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: © Pixta.)