Number of suicides in Japan hits 37-Year Low in 2018

January 18, 2019

Tokyo--The number of people in Japan who committed suicide in 2018 came to 20,598, down by 723, or 3.4 pct, from the preceding year, falling for the ninth straight year, a preliminary government report showed on Friday.

The annual number stood below 21,000 for the first time in 37 years, according to the report, which was compiled on the basis of National Police Agency data and released by the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry.

The 2018 figure was down about 40 pct from the peak level of 34,427, marked in 2003.

The decrease "apparently reflected suicide prevention efforts by local governments and others, as well as the economic recovery," an official of the ministry said.

Of the country's 47 prefectures, 33 saw a decrease in suicides.

Across the country, the number of men who killed themselves dropped by 701 to 14,125. Suicides among women were down by 22 at 6,473, the lowest since the statistics began in 1978.

The number of suicides per population of 100,000, or the suicide rate, fell for the ninth consecutive year to hit a record low of 16.3.

By prefecture, the suicide rate was the highest in Yamanashi, at 24.8, followed by Aomori, at 22.0, and Wakayama, at 21.5. The lowest reading was 12.0, in Tokushima, followed by 12.2, in Kanagawa, and 13.2, in Kyoto.

In the first 11 months of 2018, suicides decreased year on year in all adult age groups.

By contrast, suicides grew 3.0 pct among people aged 19 or under, with the number of those who took their own lives for health and family reasons increasing by more than 30 pct and about 20 pct, respectively.

The number of suicides among minors has remained roughly unchanged in recent years, according to the ministry.

The central and local governments are providing consultations for suicide prevention through social networking websites, in the wake of an incident in which the bodies of nine people in their teens or 20s were found in an apartment in the city of Zama, Kanagawa Prefecture, south of Tokyo, in 2017. At least some of the victims are believed to have posted messages showing their suicidal thoughts on social networking sites.

"We need to continue taking measures to prevent suicide among young people," a ministry official said. Over the Zama case, a male resident of the apartment in his late 20s was indicted in September 2018 on charges including robbery and murder. Jiji Press