The total number of people who committed suicide in the last year exceeded 21,000 nationwide, the increase since 2009.

The number of women increased by 15%, and the number of children and students up to high school was the highest ever, and the country believes that the increase in social unrest caused by the new coronavirus is also having an effect.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare has released a fixed number of people who committed suicide last year.



According to this, the total number of suicides last year was 21,081 nationwide, an increase of 912 from the previous year, or more than 4%.

The number of suicides has increased since 2009, immediately after the Lehman shock.



The number of male suicides was 14,055, a decrease of 23 from the previous year.



On the other hand, women's suicide is becoming more serious.

Last year there were 7026 suicides, 935, an increase of 15%.



The younger generation was particularly prominent, with 311 under the age of 20 increasing by 44% and 837 in their 20s increasing by 32%.



By occupation, 1534 people were employed (34%), 1168 housewives (14%), and 387 students (44%). It can be seen that the number of women who are having troubles is increasing.



In addition, child suicide is also conspicuous.



There were 14 elementary school students (+6), 146 junior high school students (+34), and 339 high school students (+60), for a total of 499.

It is 25% higher than the previous year and is the highest since we started collecting statistics in 1978.



The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare is strengthening the consultation system, including the private sector, considering that the spread of the new coronavirus infection has increased anxiety in society as a whole.

Expert "Preparation to support society as a whole"

Michiko Ueda, an associate professor at Waseda University who is an expert in public policy and is familiar with the issue of suicide, said, "The impact of the new coronavirus on economic activity and daily life may have led to an increase in suicide, especially among young people. In particular, non-regular women have lost their jobs, and it seems that they are also affecting the increase in suicides from elementary school to high school students, which is a very worrying situation. "



On top of that, "Even if the state of emergency is lifted, the impact on the economy will continue, so we have to be very careful. It is important to create a society where people in need can easily ask for help. Employment support and consultation system It is necessary to prepare a system to support the whole society by taking care of each person if there are people in trouble around them. "



The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare introduces various consultation counters on the Internet where you can consult by phone, email, SNS, etc.



The URL of the site is "http://shienjoho.go.jp/", and you can also search for "Support Information from the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare".



In addition, support groups nationwide working to prevent suicide have also set up a telephone consultation desk.



The telephone number is "0120 (061) 338", and for the time being, consultations will be accepted from noon to 10:00 pm, including holidays.



Due to the rapid increase in consultations, there are cases where some counters cannot respond immediately.



The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare says, "Don't give up even if it's hard to do, and look for other contact points and consult somewhere."