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Junior high school students return home from school in Tokyo. A record 514 schoolchildren died by suicide in Japan last year. Photo: AFP
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Suicides among schoolchildren hit record high in fast-shrinking Japan

  • The rise in youth suicides could be attributable to the lingering impact of the pandemic, said a Japanese health ministry official
  • By age group, those in their 50s accounted for the largest number of suicides, while those in their 80s also showed a significant increase
Japan
Kyodo
Kyodo
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A record 514 schoolchildren in Japan died by suicide last year, topping the previous high of 499 seen in 2020, government data showed Tuesday, with the upwards trend apparently fuelled by the coronavirus pandemic.

Suicides among girls also increased for the third straight year, rising by 67 from the previous year to 7,135, the data showed.

Overall, the number of people taking their own lives in Japan increased by 874 to 21,881, with suicides among men and boys seeing the first increase in 13 years at 14,746 cases, up 807 from the year before.

Students wear face masks at a high school graduation ceremony in Gifu, central Japan, earlier this month. Officials attributed the rise in suicides among schoolchildren to the lingering effects of the pandemic. Photo: Kyodo

A total of 17 junior school pupils, 143 junior high school students and 354 high school students killed themselves in 2022.

The rise in the numbers could be attributable to the lingering impact of the pandemic, which began in 2020, said a health ministry official working on measures to prevent suicides.

“We will closely monitor the situation and deepen our analysis, including the impact of the coronavirus,” the official said.

‘Critical situation’: shrinking Japan records fewest births in 123 years

The number of suicides per 100,000 people increased to 17.5, up 0.8 from 2021.

By age group, those in their 50s accounted for the largest number of suicides at 4,093, up 475 from the previous year, while those in their 80s also showed a significant increase of 276 to 2,490.

Health issues were the most common reasons behind suicides of both sexes, accounting for 12,774 cases, or the majority of suicides last year, followed by family problems at 4,775 and problems related to economic and life issues at 4,697. Employment issues accounted for 2,968 suicides.

The data was compiled by Japan’s Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare based on suicide statistics released by the National Police Agency.

Japan also set a record for the fewest births in its recorded history last year, with the number of newborns falling to 799,728 while deaths rose to 1.58 million.
If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, dial +852 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or +852 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline at 988 or +1 800 273 8255. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.
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