Worrying rise in suicide rate among Japanese youths

The number of young people who lost their lives in Japan reached the highest figure in more than thirty years in 2016-2017. This is shared by the Japanese Ministry of Education.

In the tax year that ran from April 2016 to March 2017, 250 children from primary and secondary school committed suicide. That is five more than the year before and it is the highest figure since 1986, when 268 young people were deprived of their lives.

Suicide is the leading cause of death among Japanese youths. “The number of suicides among students remains high and that is an alarming issue that needs to be tackled,” says the Ministry of Education about the latest figures.

Worries and bullying
31 children reported having to contend with family problems, 33 children were worried about their future after they graduated and 10 children reported being bullied at school. But for about 140 children the reason for their decision to step out of life is unclear because they did not leave a note.

A report by the Japanese prime minister’s office, which investigated child suicide in the country for the period from 1972 to 2013, shows that there is a huge peak at the start of the second semester of the school year on 1 September.

Hard numbers
Japan had one of the highest suicide rates in the world in 2015, but the number of cases fell back since preventive measures were taken, the World Health Organization shares. In 2017, about 21,000 Japanese deprived themselves of life, a considerable drop compared to the record year 2003, when 34,500 people committed suicide.