Suicides total 21,000 in 2017

March 16, 2018

Tokyo- The number of people who committed suicide in Japan in 2017 dropped by 576, or 2.6 percent, from the previous year to 21,321, down for the eighth consecutive year, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry said in a revised report on Friday.

The number of suicides per 100,000 people, or the suicide rate, stood at 16.8, the lowest since the statistics started in 1978, according to the report, which was compiled based on data from the National Police Agency.

The number of men who killed themselves last year totaled 14,826, while suicides among women hit a record low of 6,495.

By age group, the number of suicides was the largest among people in their 40s, at 3,668, and the second largest among those in their 50s, at 3,593. Suicides among people aged under 20 increased by 47 to 567.

Of the country's 47 prefectures, Akita saw the highest suicide rate, at 24.3, followed by Aomori, at 22.1, and Yamanashi, at 21.9. The rate was the lowest in Osaka, at 13.6, the second lowest in Nara, at 13.8, and the third lowest in Kanagawa, at 14.

Suicides due to reasons associated with the March 2011 earthquake and tsunami in northeastern Japan, and the subsequent accident at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima No. 1 nuclear plant increased by four to 26, including 12 in Fukushima Prefecture, seven in Iwate Prefecture and five in Miyagi Prefecture.

The overall downtrend in suicides may partly reflect an improvement in the country's economic condition, a ministry official said, citing a drop in the number of suicides among unemployed people. Jiji Press