21,818 people committed suicide in Japan in 2023, health ministry says

The highest number are old people in poor health. They've just had enough and want to move on. We should respect that wish if they have thought it through.

These numbers continue to drop. The country saw over 30,000 suicides for 14 consecutive years from 1998 to 2011.

But I am of the mindset that those who desire to leave us should be able to do so regardless of the intense grief/anguish/morning the act might cause those of us left behind.

We need intervention and support.

These numbers continue to drop. The country saw over 30,000 suicides for 14 consecutive years from 1998 to 2011.

Very true, but so does the population.

Health problems, I understand. But socio-economic problems are things we can control and adjust our way of thing about them.

It's better to be poor and let go of material things than to kill yourself over them. You can always live on very low wages by living very simply.

It's good to be alive.

Be REALLY helpful for the authors here to include demographic information as well! Particularly by age breakdown!

But I am of the mindset that those who desire to leave us should be able to do so regardless of the intense grief/anguish/morning the act might cause those of us left behind.

Even young people - children - with no medical issues?

Sorry. No. Suicide must NEVER be normalised. Good the trends are dropping - the government has worked hard on programs to educate against suicide.

According to the report, the most common cause cited by relatives of deceased people or in suicide notes was "health problems," followed by "economic/lifestyle problems.” Also, 52.2% were said to be unemployed, with the largest number of people living on pensions or employment insurance.

A lot of victims of "New capitalism" as well.

It is a global phenomena too with Americans' lifespans actually shortening.

https://www.japantimes.co.jp/opinion/2022/01/09/commentary/world-commentary/reckonings-americas-killer-capitalism/

@Spitfire

Very true, but so does the population.

The population hasn’t dropped 27% in the past 13 years!

@Fighto!

Sorry. No. Suicide must NEVER be normalised. 

If humanity came survive AI, “planned departures” will gradually become more common.

The number of suicides among elementary, junior high and high school students was 507

It hurts to read that.

It's all very tragic, but look how precise their data is.

How many people died in police custody? Oh wait, they don't want to tell us that one.

Fighto!Today 05:32 pm JST

Suicide must NEVER be normalised. Good the trends are dropping - the government has worked hard on programs to educate against suicide.

Education is always good but unless you can restore people's health, they have every right to say, "see you on the other side".

The anguish in the world is increasing. The families become not a support but an enemy, abuser, a bully. People with certain fragilities desperately need and want love and support but theres none to be find among people they are around with.

i dont believe that the majority committ suicide because of money. Getting to suicide is a longrun process of emotional isolation and loneliness and erosion of the heart and soul. Even the best medication and the best psychiatrists support are not 100% guarantee of success.

from my personal experience though, those who manage to acquire genuine faith in God are able to overcome.

In my job I deal with a lot of young people. The number of mental issues they have - anxiety, panic attacks, bi-polar etc is way more than it was 10-15 years ago. It's very a worrying trend.

These kids have it all, except mental health.

Number of suicides slightly decreased from 2022 but actually less than population decrease on a % basis, so the problem is not improving in reality.

It's a symptom of far larger societal problems, much of which stem from Japan's falling economic status due to rising global competition and many other factors.

This is really SAD and disturbing, yes other nations have it too, But Japan has everything one could ask for except Mental Health Support in times of need. NO compassion or lack of , NO one listens, No one cares, and No one is there to help, even the so called psychologist get you MORE depressed than when you walk in the door. they either put you on anti depressant or milk your cash. Never been to one but I know people who did.

In some countries churches and many places of worship provide peace and comfort for those in need, but Japan is a non Christian and so people don't have that access.

I hope that volunteers will fill the gap and start an organization to help those in need.

I'm guessing it must help to be around animals.

If I get to the point where I feel my life is no longer what I want, I hope my personal freedom to move on will be respected.

21,818 Japanese commited suicide last year?

Almost 22 thousand? No!! That's a lot of people!

We feel happiness lies in the worldly beings, things and situation without realising that everything has limitations. Pleasure, Wealth, our existence, love, relationship have limitations and cannot provide eternal happiness. Lack of knowledge of this truth leads to helplessness, frustration and sometimes to the extreme step of suicide.

A human being is not a complex of body, mind & intellect but something beyond that.

When we get up in the morning, who tells us we slept well ie someone was awake within us and watching us sleeping. This something is what we really are.

Till such time, we don’t gain this knowledge, suicides in the society would continue unabated.

I have seen my brother who is a qualified medical doctor, give a dog sleeping tablets and inject air into a vein.

Death was instantaneous.

It should be the same for a human being but there are many reasons for it to be legal.

Asiaman7Today  05:02 pm JST

But I am of the mindset that those who desire to leave us should be able to do so regardless of the intense grief/anguish/morning the act might cause those of us left behind.

A significant number of persons kill themselves when suffering from severe depression. In many cases, they can recover and see things very differently after appropriate treatment and do not want to kill themselves anymore. What a waste if you leave them to kill themselves in the middle of their depression

HopeSpringsEternalToday  07:10 pm JST

Number of suicides slightly decreased from 2022 but actually less than population decrease on a % basis, so the problem is not improving in reality.

It's a symptom of far larger societal problems, much of which stem from Japan's falling economic status due to rising global competition and many other factors.

I do not think that the economy is the reason because according to the WHO the suicide rate is higher in the US with a strong economy (14.5 / 100,000) than in Japan (12.2 / 100,000).

Japan isn't that high on the suicide rate table.Not in the top 10 and fewer per 100K than the USA.

Lesotho has the highest rate. Not sure why but living where 24% of the population have HIV with 50+% of women in urban areas having the disease and a life expectancy of 42 must be depressing.

Apparently there are now medical treatments too that can snap someone right out of depression.

nandakandamandaJan. 26  11:36 pm JST

Apparently there are now medical treatments too that can snap someone right out of depression.

yes they already use ketamine which is an anesthetic for that purpose in several countries and it has an immediate effect whereas traditional antidepressants take weeks to work leaving plenty of time for people to kill themselves.

There are also experiments with other psychedelics drugs such as psilocybin (ingredient in magic mushrooms!) MDMA and LSD which seem very promising.

CORRECTION: The rate per 100K among MALES is 17.5. Overall the rate (both sexes) is 12.2 per 100K.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_countries_by_suicide_rate

If health is the reason for suicide, further research into treatments for cancer and other conditions is needed.

If financial reasons are the reason, it is recommended that the person receive welfare for a period of time before committing suicide. But why are people who commit suicide not or unable to receive welfare? I'll have to look into that.

Japan's welfare system, which is abused by Chinese and Koreans, allows people to live without income if they receive it.

If you are unable to work due to illness, injury, or family circumstances, you should receive benefits.

At least it's still declining..

Not like "first world" US where it's growing every year..

More than 50000 suicides, the only industrialized country where suicide keep growing..

Does this number include many children who are murdered by their mother or father who then themselves commit suicide? That is most troubling to me. Also, the cases of young people killing themselves, in many cases due to bullying is tragic.

No wonder der the population is declining. If this many people off themselves,;perhaps Japan should stopbragging about what a great place it is to live. Kt is ironic that the figure is exactly the same as JR train delays. Japan has suicide hotlines.More people should use them.

Man, that’s a lot of people. Too many.

These figures are a bit meaningless without a definition of what constitutes a suicide. You really have to drill down into the definitions to make sense of statistics in Japan, especially if there might be a reason to fudge them, like the drive to reduce suicides. Road accident deaths are the same.

It sounds worse than the Russia Ukraine war. The male rate is significantly higher than female, which makes me think women might be causing many of the men’s suicides.

@Paul Spira. Yeah, now why didn't I think of that?