No. of suicides surpasses 30,000 for 14th year in a row in 2011
TOKYO —
The National Police Agency said Tuesday that the number of suicides in Japan in 2011 surpassed 30,000 for the 14th year in a row.
Last year, 30,513 people took their own lives, which was 1,177 fewer than in 2010. Of the total, 20,867 were men and 9,646 were women, the NPA said.
May saw the highest number at 3,367. The NPA said the three disaster-hit prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima actually saw a decline in the number of people who took their own lives, compared to 2010.
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6
bluesea67
Yep we live in a country where we let people with issues struggle and then when they top themselves the Japanese government rub there hands together and say " that's another pension fund we don't have to pay out" What the hell happens to all the money this government collects. Yes it all comes down to economics. Eg In my neighbourhood local government have ripped out small parks. because they don't want to spend the money to maintain green spaces. not these little bits of green to break up concrete grinds away at the neighbourhood well being. Now all we got is a chicken wire fence and scorched earth that we can't even get into. I had my rant
3
Blair Herron
The number of suicides decreased in the three northeastern prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima, Suicides decreased by 67 to 400 in Iwate, by 137 to 483 in Miyagi and by 15 to 525 in Fukushima,
http://jen.jiji.com/jc/eng?g=eco&k=2012011000991
3
Ayler
the government will form 7 panels to investigate the handful of abductees from decades ago and do nothing to address the 100 people a day commiting suicide.
3
YuriOtani
The government and society need to do more. This is twice the tsunami deaths year after year. Something needs to be done to help them. There needs to be places these people can go and get help.
2
CrazyJoe
So over 420,000 people killed themselves over the last 14 years. That's a lot.
2
miyazawa3
That means from the population, every 24 hours 83 people have found out
No reason to live...any more.
This is something seriously think about..
2
DentShop
In regards to the Tohoku disaster, people actually commit suicide less in time of war or disaster. I think when so many others are in the same desperate boat, you dont feel so sorry for yourself anymore and dont feel so alone in your misery.
Not so. Most Japanese who commit suicide are elderly men who have retired, are in poor health and lonely.
2
xpidf1
But heavy crime, heavy divorces, heavy disemployments, heavy suicides, etc. has became the formula for the country to be the world's saddest on the list.An awful shame thaat needs an urgent world psychological attention.
2
Piltdown Man
The actual number is without a doubt significantly higher than the reported number, but nowhere near 10 to 20 times higher.
There were 1.19 million deaths in Japan in 2010; if the number of suicides were 10 times the reported number (300,000+) that would mean around 30% of all deaths were suicides. Not likely.
2
Johannes Weber
Actually, it is quite interesting to look at suicide rates in comparison, like here: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate. It is quite amazing that South Korea (which compares best with Japan) has an even higher suicide rate. Furthermore, we can note very well that most of the leading countries in the list are EX-Soviet Union or Eastern Europe countries (11 from the top 15 means a whopping 70% or so). What is it that South Korea and Japan have in common with these countries?
We can also see that in South Korea and Japan the ratio of female to male suicide victims is exceptionally high. And we can note that in most of these unhappy Western countries (with a standard of living similar to Japan) the suicide rates are significantly lower, especially the female suicides, whereas Japan is only beaten by South Korea. Even though this is not news, it is certainly very worrisome.
2
Blair Herron
I thought the suicide number would increase in Tohoku since so many people lost everything (houses, photo albums, pets, children, parents, spouse...) and lost hopes for the future. But to my surprise, the number has decreased. I think it's because a number of councilors have been sent there since day one. I remember when I was at the evacuation center of a school gym, in the morning of the next day on 3.12, one counselor (from the municipal government, I think) came and talked to every one of us, "Aren’t you hungry? Were you able to talk to your family?", things like that.
Japan has learned from Kobe earthquake that evacuees living in temporary housings would be very lonely, depressed, and could be suicidal. In order to avoid making those people lonely and depressed, they have been doing various things. 1. Councilors visit those people frequently. 2. Temporary housing community made a self-service café where people can gather and talk. 3. Some temporary housing community made a rule that when they woke up in the morning, they put a flower in a small vase next to the door and when they go to bed, they take it back inside. If they find someone was not putting a flower outside, it could be something wrong with the person and someone go check up on him/her. 4. No words of "Gambare" "Gaman" should be used.
I believe there are still a number of people in Tohoku suffering from loneliness and depression. Things are not over yet, and it’s going to be a long road. I hope the government, the community, and individual will continue giving mental support for those people.
1
jforce
@some14: Unfortunately, the care put into this article reaffirms that these 30,000+ deaths are nothing more than filler. Sad start to the day.
1
Bluebris
Seriously, is anything ever done to help these poor, desperate people here? I mean I get the impression that mental illness is just a taboo subject here that nobody wants to discuss.
1
BurakuminDes
There are obviously a disproportionate amount of sad and depressed people in Japan. If you look around in stations, malls, on the street, people just don't look happy. Possibly very poor/weak family relationships, or mental health issues?
1
globalwatcher
Very depressing story. Is there any "Suicide" hot line available 24/7 for those who are contamplating a suicide?
It looks to me many social support systems including a family support network in Japanese society are no longer functioning and totally broken.
1
Captcanuck
There is a high likelihood that many of the female 'suicides' are actually murders. Less than 3% of suspicious deaths (which include suicides) are autopsied in Japan. My wife's best friend was murdered by her husband and he claimed it was suicide. The police did not even come to the house to look at the body, instead taking his word for it. We saw the body just afterwards and his story didn't fit. The body was cremated the next day and all evidence destroyed. Sadly, it is a convenient way to kill your wife by claiming suicide. The Medical Association of Japan needs to put pressure on the government to make it a law to perform autopsies in all suspicious deaths including all 'suicides'. The system is stuck in the stone-age.
1
ka_chan
This story is just a numbers report, no reference to why. As for numbers, seems Korea is number 2, Japan is number 6. the US is 41, Germany is 47, UK is 66 out of 107. Korea and Japan are 1, 2 for female suicides. Just guessing here but Japan and Korea may not be the best place if you're female.
1
GW
Thats more deaths than the massive disasters of March 2011 & it repeats year after year & few seem to care at all, not news I know but its incredible that so many just dont care, just more evidence of our downward trajectory, there is no future here sadly
1
Christina O'Neill
This story fills me with sadness, even one suicide, is one too many
1
zichi
Several people from the disaster area committed suicide. Recently a farmer inside the exclusion zone shot himself.
1
Thunderbird
Feeling suicidal? Go abroad, open up your mind! See the beautiful world out there! A company situation or a 失恋(unrequited love) doesn't worth your life. I wish I could send these people with suicidal toughts to some poor countries I know to see the very reality, I guess one or two would get ashamed to even have thought about taking their own lives, while there's ppl out there struggling to survive every single day. What would a bed ridden person or paralytic feel when they read those news about healthy, lifeful youths taking their own lives..
1
cactusJack
It seems like if you get in debt and lose your job in this country, it is game over. There is a real lack of opportunity in Japan to get a fresh start towards earning higher wages.
1
7777777
"Feeling suicidal? Go abroad, open up your mind! See the beautiful world out there! A company situation or a 失恋(unrequited love) doesn't worth your life. I wish I could send these people with suicidal toughts to some poor countries I know to see the very reality, I guess one or two would get ashamed to even have thought about taking their own lives, while there's ppl out there struggling to survive every single day. What would a bed ridden person or paralytic feel when they read those news about healthy, lifeful youths taking their own lives.."
With all due respect Thunderbird, don
t you think that is a little short sighted? Perhaps if someone were in the financial situation to travel the world they wouldnt be considering suicide. Perhaps they are on the brink of homelessness which would put them in no better of a position than someone in a poor country. And perhaps if the suicidal teen who is bullied every day at school with no support from teachers had the same loving care and support that the paralytic or bedridden person had, he wouldnt be considering suicide either. Suicide is more complex than just spoiled brats who cant have all their materialistic dreams to come true. Of course sometimes it can be the result of an impulsive teen feeling crushed from unrequited "love", but I think most cases of suicide are deeper and more complex than that.1
Jannetto
Thanks to the mathematicians out there- looking at the daily total, or even worse the cumulative number, really brings it home. Our boss went under a train in 1991 - a happy drunk, reportedly staggering over the platform. But the company claimed he jumped because he'd been cooking the books- always wondered if they got out of some payment to his family with that one.
Impressed by everyone sharing experiences here - Captcanuck, what a dreadful story. I hope the guy rots in hell.
1
アメリ フセイン
Japanese people are too serious and too stressed out. They feel like it is their duty to fulfill some requirement set to them by society or the company**. The reality is, life is just a ride, there is no need to be afraid or worry, ever!** Japan would be a better place and Japanese people would be less suicidal if they tried pot or dropped acid once in their life. It would sure make Japanese people less motivated to satisfy and fulfill society's expectation burning out themselves in the process. When you think of yourself in context of the group you are willing to sacrifice yourself, but no one should do that. People wouldn't be killing themselves if it weren't for the way Japan's society worked.
0
Sherman
Grim news again this year.
0
some14some
true, but here in japan it's mere stats like unemplyoment rate or number of welfare recipients.
0
namabiru4me
Wow! That is 80+ every day!!!
@kansaifun - very true...I wonder how Tohoku factors in, or if there are more to come in 2012.
0
Piltdown Man
I find the attitude toward suicide here in Japan bizarre/creepy/surreal.
Whenever I am on the train and it stops followed by a euphemistic "human accident" (jishin jiko) announcement by the stationmaster I invariably find myself stunned by the reactions of my fellow passengers. On those all-too-frequent occasions the people around me are visibly angered by the inconvenience, no show of empathy or horror.
I have known a number of Japanese people who have committed suicide. Of those, when the deaths involved students the full-time faculty of their school was given all the grim details about what happened but the students and part-time faculty were told the deaths were accidents and provided with sketchy (false) details about how the death occurred.
Whereas the part-time foreign faculty had plenty of questions about the story they were given (I wasn't allowed to tell even them the truth) the Japanese part-timers nor the students had a single question, just bought the stories hook, line and sinker. I don't think those suicides were included in the suicide statistics that year, rather just marked down as 'accidental' deaths.
0
Sasoriza
If this is for 14 years straight, so it is not a news anymore, it's a routine.
0
issa1
Most of these people committed suicide for various reasons but the main one it is financial = gambling = pachinko,pachinko,pachinko.
0
Samantha Zoe Aso
What a sad article to read at the start of a cold but sunny day. I wonder what life will be like here in 10 or 20 years. Child and elder abuse cases are increasing. The pension systems seems to say the least in dire straits. Economy still depressed. The Daichi situation which is still ongoing. There are a lot of bright and well educated people in Japan. It's the boys club at the top that is strangling any fresh approach to current problems. The number of times I've heard retired 'baby boomers' who probably are the richest lot in the country, comment that the ongoing situations in Japan don't matter to them because they 'don't have that many years left.' I am astounded every time I hear this. I want to ask them what about their sons or daughters? Their grandkids.
0
CrazyJoe
It is said that the number of attempted suicides are ten to twenty times the number of actual suicides in Japan.
0
Shiningfinger
@ka_chan Well Korea is actually number 1 not number 2 if you take into account the size of population divided by the number of deaths, Korea has the highest rate of suicide in the world which has climbed steadily over the past decade while japan has remain steady with slight declines annually. Which would lead me to think internationally other nations are seeing rising numbers. If japan has fallen to 6th.
In Korea, the main reason to address is violence/abuse against women in all forms i.e ,physical, mental,sexual etc. which leads to serve depression, or other forms mental disorders. The government seems indifferent to wide spread abuse that is present in such a society where such large numbers of women commit suicide daily.
In japan suicide seems to be tied more to economic reasons.
Moderator
Readers, please stay on topic. Comparisons to other countries are not relevant to this discussion.
0
7777777
"Seriously, is anything ever done to help these poor, desperate people here? I mean I get the impression that mental illness is just a taboo subject here that nobody wants to discuss."
I don
t think mental illness is the primary cause of suicides although it is a cause in some cases. I think the primary cause in adults is financial/job loss and for kids bullying. You dont have to be crazy to be bullied or finanically strapped to the point of seeing no more hope in life.Issa, I agree that finances are a primary cause of suicide but I don
t think pachinko is the reason most fall into financial troubles. For some it is job loss. For others it is debt or signing for someone elses debt and that debt falls on the co-signer. For others it is illness. For others it is divorce that leads to financial ruin. So I think it is unfair to say the majority of people that commit suicide due to finances do it because they foolishly squandered all their money at the pachinko parlor.0
bicultural
The number of suicides in Japan peaked in 2003 and the number is slowly but steadily declining. At this rate the number should drop below 30,000 this year, but of course it will still be much too high.
0
CrazyJoe
@Piltdown Man
These are "attempted suicides" not resulting in death. (自殺未遂は既遂の20倍以上はいるとされるので) It does mention 20 times the number of actual suicides. You must have misunderstood.
http://d.hatena.ne.jp/kitano/20050628
0
Shunsuke Shindo
By contrast 15,844 unwilling to die deaths toll and 3,451 people missing for tohoku earthquake casuality. That's heart breaking disappointment
0
Piltdown Man
You must have misunderstood.
@CrazyJoe You are right, I did misunderstand. Sorry about that, and thanks for the link.
That means 600,000+ attempted suicides a year. High number, about 5 out of every 1,000 people in a given year.
0
Nessie
@canuck
An even greater skew is suicides misreported as accidental deaths. My gf is an insurance claims handler and she says she sees cases of clear suicide that the police treat as accident to spare embarrassment. Found dead with a smoking hibachi in the back of the car with the doors closed? Accidental death. Yeah, right. Remember, that's the rest of us paying extra on insurance to cover these suicides, so we have a stake in this.
She's now involved in what's clearly a murder case, but the cops have only just begun to treat it as suspicious. I can't give the details, because it's an ongoing case, but the whole thing reeks. I asked her if she thinks the perp will break under questioning. She said "Definitely, if the police manage to get it that far." So far, they haven't questionned the people involved.
0
CrazyJoe
@Piltdown Man
Thanks for your reply.
0
Jay Que
About suicide - those joking about it clearly have no clue nor personal experience with it. Coming to Japan has helped me overcome great sadness on many occasions. Right after 9-11 when I lost several close friends (including John William Perry, NYPD) at the WCT - was one of those times. Another was August 2010+ just after the suicide of my loved one, Alie Roberts; I had impulsively proposed to her early that year and, she said yes. She left us in July 2010. Her family is non-religious and so they never held a wake or funeral. Instead I fled to Japan with my one closest friend left, who is Japanese, and we held a private 2 person 49 day ceremony at Koto-kuin temple, then again with a short series of 3 prayer-chants along the shore, at Kamakura, on Sept 4th 2010. I have preserved memories from that day and that ceremony... at www.thebest-of.info/jq/alie.htm It is there to try to help others overcome similar loss. I found a group that gave me some peace, at www.samaritansnyc.org They have an affiliate here in Japan. People think they are alone and lose hope, and they are not alone. Japans society internalizes so much. I worry very much for the survivors of 3-11 who may be on the same path. People need to continue to reach out to them, to stem the tide. Suicide destroys not one life but hurts all their loved ones even when they think there are no loved ones left. There are. They just haven't found then yet.
0
Foxie
That's 83 people per day committing suicide. How sad. We all have to help vulnerable people more out, this is everybody's responsibility.
0
Nessie
To be meaningful, the figures need to be corrected for changes in total population and demographic structure.
0
cl400
JAPAN NEEDS MORE COUNSELORS. Get on it Japan...
0
sfjp330
Japan government has done nothing. It feels like goverment has abandon these peope and they just doesn't care about people. All that's left are endless bankruptcies, chronic unemployment, high suicide rates and a lot of despair. Many people believe the government lacks the political will to tackle the socially sensitive issue, a situation that has allowed suicide rates to soar. The long economic downturn, changing socio-economic trends and various cultural factors combine to transform society, creating a less stable and more suicide-prone environment.
The recent sharp increase in the number of child deaths is one of the most troubling developments. It seems that almost every week there are several tragic cases involving schoolchildren either taking their own lives or being murdered by a mother or father before the despairing parent commits suicide. The number of family murder-suicides is not detailed in the figures, but news and other reports indicate their frequency is growing. Young people who commit suicide are greatly influenced by adults who take their own lives and the publicity surrounding the deaths. The stress and competition in school for jobs that may no longer exist have also been documented. Sadly, youth suicide appears to have become such a common phenomenon that it no longer grabs press attention and reports are usually consigned to the back pages of newspapers. The whole country is in a state of denial. This is perhaps why we cannot solve this problem. We are trying to ignore it, but wishing it away gets us nowhere.
0
Blair Herron
Statistics from Cabinet Office (2009)
[suicide by age]
under 20 (566)
20~29 (3,471)
30~39(4,793)
40~49 (5,255)
50~59 (6,484)
60~69 (5,952)
70~79 (3,673)
over 80 (2,402)
http://www8.cao.go.jp/jisatsutaisaku/kyouka_basic_data/h21/pdf/1-1-1.pdf
[cause]
Health issue (15,848)
Financial/Livelihood issue (8,371)
Domestic issue (4,113)
Job issue (2,531)
Others (3,095)
http://www8.cao.go.jp/jisatsutaisaku/kyouka_basic_data/h21/pdf/1-2-3.pdf
0
Blair Herron
Add to the statistical figure above, I think the causes of suicide are somewhat related so it's difficult to categorize. But still, you could get a rough idea.
0
Samantha Ueno
Japan and Korea have a higher suicide rate than USA, UK, AUS, NZ, even those "poor" countries like Philippines and Thailand. What is going on?
0
timtak
This means that about 2.4% of deaths each year are due to suicide in Japan.
0
kitzrow
And now we know why we have those train announcement many times for delays. Sad, very sad!
-1
villagehiker
The high suicide numbers makes me sorry for Japan. Although the Japanese people are very kind to foreigners, we still notice much quiet despair in Japan. While the Portuguese did a deception job on Japan—hiding behind religion and trade when the ultimate goal was apparently to colonize—there is hope in the Root of their religion, but not the way the Portuguese government warped it. I am not a religious person, but do find peace, calm and meaning in the midst of trouble by knowing the one who created me. I pray for hope for many people, but especially for the Japanese. God bless all of you.
-1
my2sense
Captcanuck... Do you see this guy regularly? Good comment btw...
-1
omicron
I think there are no studies that relate this problem to workplaces in Japan. Which field is the most stressful and most likely to cause suicide? There are many demanding jobs in Japan with terribly low pay. For me, this is one of the factors. Another one is many Japanese are afraid to talk to each other (eventhough most Japanese are nice anyway). This is especially for gils/women who thinks that every man who looks o wants to speak to them on the train are chikan or strange (can't blame them totally anyway). I think they should loosen up and stop limiting themselves too much. This will make them happier I believe.
-1
almostshat
I'd like to know what kind of help or counselling the train drivers get after ploughing into yet another jumper. Anyone know? I think I can guess the answer.
-1
http://danieldiaztecles.blogspot.com/
This year has been very bad for Japan, due to natural disasters occurred, should not be taken into account statistics. It is not real, because of the chaos in which they are many Japanese families.
-1
13akio13
There is something wrong with the government if we have 14000 suicides a year and the country as a whole.. The people off the country are sick by letting this happen
-2
Andrew Matthews
There was an interesting article in Japan Today on "Getting Help": http://www.japantoday.com/category/opinions/view/getting-help-is-not-un-japanese-its-expensive
It starts off talking about “honne” and “tatemae”. But I felt the last few paragraphs were telling.
-2
BurakuminDes
Are they counting all of the babies and toddlers who committed so called "family suicide" amongst the numbers?
-2
LH10
♡RIP my Japanese♡, it's not your fault and you're resting now and away from whatever problems you had. ♡♡JAPAN GANBARE♡♡! ヽ(●ﾟ´Д｀ﾟ●)ﾉﾟ
-2
Elbuda Mexicano
This suicide mess is a big part of Japanese culture, it is not a recent phenomena and many of the religious teachings would teach that by killing yourself you will be reborn in another part of the universe, maybe one of these forms of Buddhism called Nenbutsu?? Anyway, it is a very sad way to go IMHO.
-2
electric2004
If it wouldn't be so sad, one could think of a suicide simulator. There already exist simulators for example fo groping on the train, why not have a setup, where the customer is rolled over by a train simulation?
Such simulation could be either very soft, or even a hologram. Might be actually a business idea.
-2
Elvensilvan
So ... Japan's current stats can be summed as follows: Increasing suicide, Increasing old age, Decreasing birthrate
And after a few more years, I guess Japan will be globally known as "the country where the Japanese are the minority"
Moderator: Stay on topic please.
-2
CVHuan
What happen to the rising confidence of Japan these days?
-2
Ishiwara
Before we start speculating about what this figure means, and what it says about Japanese society etc., it must be pointed out that it is not the highest in the world. Lithuania and South Korea for example are much higher.
-3
Disillusioned
These prefectures also saw a decline in their overall population. Could that be related to the results?
-3
Samantha Zoe Aso
I was talking to some students about a newstory concerning a 'family suicide' ( student chose the topic) and it came across that the act was more an honorable thing to do whereas I was just horrified. Stories like that haunt me for days. One student did bring up the fact that Christianity views suicide as an abomination against God and that might factor in why Japanese deal with it the way they do. Even if that is part of the reason, I still feel it's incredibly sad. I am sure any relatives left behind must be devastated.
-3
BurakuminDes
I think ka-chan is spot on. I remember reading or watching a report which showed Japanese women are the most unhappy/depressed in the entire world. Why this is the case is anyones guess, but I'd imagine gender role and lowly female status in Japanese/Korean society has something to do with it.
-3
smithinjapan
It'll be news when the suicide rate does NOT top 30,000, but that's not going to happen until adequate care and support are provided. There needs to be more 24-hour support lines, and places where people can go to talk to psychiatrists if necessary. Such things should not be hidden as though they were taboo -- they need to be thoroughly announced and people encouraged to go if they feel the need.
-4
kansaifun
Streak! Streak! Streak!
Actually, 30,513 sounds suspiciously low considering the Tohoku disaster and how poorly the government offered support and counseling to the refugees...
-4
naruhodo1
i blame tv and comics, then the parents, then society. but it still beats taking out your frustrations by murdering people like in other countries...
-4
アメリ フセイン
You could start an all-suicide channel in Japan.
-8
MaboDofuIsSpicy
Most of them did it on my train line.
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