At a time when suicide rates remain high among young people in Japan, some college students are coming together to learn what they can do to detect the telltale signs of a friend in trouble and become suicide prevention guardians.
Almost one in two young people in Japan have had suicidal thoughts, a Tokyo-based nongovernmental organization said in a survey, calling for greater public awareness to prevent suicide.
Juvenile suicides in Japan hit record-high 479 in 2020
The annual number of juvenile suicides in Japan hit 479 in 2020, the highest figure since records began to be kept in 1980, education ministry data showed Monday.
In 2020, the government requested a nationwide school closure from March due to the novel coronavirus pandemic and a subsequent state of emergency meant many schools remained closed until May or June, but whether the suspension of classes was linked to the increase in suicides is not clear.
Students do self-study at a closed elementary school in Nagoya in March 2020 due to difficulty staying home as parents are out or other reasons. (Kyodo)
Suicides in Japan mark 1st rise in 11 yrs amid pandemic
The number of suicides in Japan rose 3.7 percent in 2020 from the previous year to 20,919, up for the first time in 11 years, with the number of cases involving women and young people showing a marked increase amid the coronavirus pandemic, police data showed Friday.
While suicides of men dropped 1.0 percent to 13,943 for the 11th straight year of decline, those of women increased 14.5 percent to 6,976, the highest number in five years, the National Police Agency said in a preliminary report.
Counselors of Tokyo Mental Health Square give consultations to clients via private social media chats in Tokyo on Nov. 28, 2020. (Kyodo)