Suicides in Japan top 30,000 for 11th straight year

Friday 06th March, 09:20 AM JST

The requested article has expired, and is no longer available. Any related articles, and user comments are shown below.

› Login to comment

Latest 15 of 34 Total Comments Show All

samsarks at 01:27 PM JST - 6th March

its sad that they are ending this way and the govt takes no step to address it.anyay,it will give my "haafu" son a chance to become a premier on day
Coolasapool at 02:36 PM JST - 6th March

this will be an all time high for 2009.. you can guarrantee that
LostinNagoya at 03:19 PM JST - 6th March

Unfortunately, there´s nothing much the government can do about avoiding this number from going up. If you pay attention to the society as a whole, they see a suicidal as somenone who did something which is unacceptable but somehow they agree with his action. Shoganai, would be the word, I think.

To stop, or bring this awsome number down, Japanese suicidals as individuals should have something they lack: see hope in themselves and around them. This is a cultural factor. Why don´t you see unemployed people selling hot dogs on the corners of Tokyo, Osaka, Yokahama, Nagoya? Because their line of hope do not let them think that´s it´s not a proper job, but it´s better than starving to death or being a victim of deep depression. Worse, if a hopeless Japanese is given the opportunity of trying an alternative way of living, soon authorities will shut him down. They are enclosed in a capsule that allows no side movements.

I wished I could see more people doing things to live like we see in our countries. There´s life beyond the Japan Co.
likeitis at 03:38 PM JST - 6th March

DoctorLady, my idea will not prevent all suicides nor even get all suicidal people to apply for euthanasia. Of course some people will still have their own ideas. As long it brings the numbers down, I will be happy.

But touching on what you said, yes, the desire to hit back at others is certainly a reason for suicide. Hopefully, just threatening euthanasia and applying for it will be seen as hitting back enough for some of these people, or enough of a plea for help. Then, after counseling, they might change their mind. So, it could also be seen as a new alternative for those who feel their only current alternative is to end it.
Proffessor at 05:10 PM JST - 6th March

Wow! That's really a huge number. It's like one town being wiped out annually.
realist at 05:58 PM JST - 6th March

Thats almost a sucide every five minutes. Japan is a sick country, with a poor quality of life for most of its people.
TokyoXtreme at 06:44 PM JST - 6th March

So 30,000 people would be roughly the same number of people who would die in TEN World Trade Center terror attacks... and every year! Everyday I witness police officers standing guard around train stations -- occasionally searching bags of innocents, hear anti-terrorism announcements warning of suspicious packages, see posters warning of riot and insurrection, etc. But never have I once seen any poster or advertisement raising the issue of suicide prevention / depression therapy... the closest thing I've seen is the "people aren't things" Communist poster. The amount of Japanese ignorance of depression must be staggering. People who don't value their own lives can't be expected to persevere indefinitely.
TokyoXtreme at 06:50 PM JST - 6th March

Here is my quicklist on how to lower the suicide rate in Japan (in no particular order): 1) get rid of those ridiculous fire prevention posters with the 18 y.o. loli-model holding a clenched fist 2) get rid of all posters depicting people holding clenched fists 3) forbid escalator warning announcements 4) activate automatic air-conditioning in trains when interior temperature goes above 26'C (especially in WINTER) 5) create an atmosphere of acceptance for people who wish to publicly berate reckless sidewalk bicyclers 6) re-legalize the sumo wrester's drug of choice
Hotbox08 at 06:59 PM JST - 6th March

the desire to hit back at others is certainly a reason for suicide.

Yes, that would be a reason, but if they want to get "back" at someone, wouldn't they actually try to harm the person they want to get back at (say with a knife, or gun)?
sharky1 at 10:21 PM JST - 6th March

Japan is far, far behind the rest of the industrialized nations when it comes to mental health. Probably about the US equivalent of the 1960's. Counseling has derogatory connotations and is still considered an embarrassment to the family. If someone does seek help they only prescribe antipsychotic drugs and don't offer any real cognitive or behavioral therapy. This is one of the major contributors to the highest suicide rate in the industrialized world. A very sad state of affairs.
WMD at 10:42 PM JST - 6th March

I don't think the government cares one bit. Fewer pensions to pay out, less competitiom for the now scarce jobs, less demand for japan's poor housing stock etc. Some talking head of a minister will come on TV and say how terrible it all is and that's his duty done until the same time next year. They only care about the people if there is social unrest....
Pukey2 at 11:29 PM JST - 6th March

Had a quick look at the wikipedia page. Some points:

Of the women, the highest suicides occur in East Asia - JPN, KOR, CHN and HKG. Of the men, well, Ireland seems to be a very very depressing place. Japan doesn't even compare to Ireland.
rurika at 06:38 AM JST - 7th March

Do these statistics also detail suicide by age group? I wonder how many terminally ill elderly commit suicide. They don't make the news as opposed to the suicide of a bullied child for example.
Hotbox08 at 05:23 PM JST - 7th March

Had a quick look at the wikipedia page.

Yeah, had a quick look at aneki.com and it didn't even have Japan on the list of highest suicide rates in the world, yet wikipedia had it ninth. I guess aneki.com sucks. Some eye-popping statistics on that website.
TheVripper at 07:41 AM JST - 10th March

Japan comes in at #21 among males globally, according to NationMaster.com.