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No. of juvenile suicides in Japan hits record-high 479 in 2020

21 Comments

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Of course it’s due to the suspension of classes. What future do they see ahead of them when everything gets shut down for a virus with a 99.8% survival rate. You can bet abuse at home is at an all time high as well.

1 ( +12 / -11 )

Of course it’s due to the suspension of classes.

That's correct. Last year existed in a vacuum, and there is definitely no other possible reason whatsoever that could even be considered to be a possibility. No data or testing needed.

5 ( +12 / -7 )

The ministry said the main reasons for juvenile suicide The ministry said the main reasons for juvenile suicide remained more or less the same, including poor academic performance and uncertainty concerning future careers.

And what about the bullying and lack of jobs caused by government rulings?

10 ( +14 / -4 )

It Is not possible to make a direct link with covid related policies and their impacts, but how many juveniles in Japan died from covid in Japan ? I have not heard of any. We can just suspect that once more covid related policies had indirectly a huge impact on juveniles , more than the disease itself. That’s why I have been against lockdowns from the start, and though Japan did not implement it, the Stay Home campaign was largely followed

2 ( +8 / -6 )

Meanwhile the vast majority of kids lived normal lives without feeling the need to jump in front of trains.

Teen suicide feeds on publicity so let's stop feeding.

-7 ( +6 / -13 )

I'm with kurispisu, the Education Ministry has a cheek to blame suicides on "poor academic performance and uncertainty concerning future careers", especially for suicides among elementary school students. The more likely cause is bullying occurring under the watch of teachers employed by the Education Ministry.

Bullied kids need protection and action against bullies, not tablet computers.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

Another article mentions there are 35 million over 65's in Japan.

Regrettably under 16 suicides will be forgotten about by this afternoon,

while the corona panic never ends.

To me it seems we have our priorities mixed up.

1 ( +4 / -3 )

and this why Japan was really cautious about the lockdown. People screamed lockdown without thinking about the repercussions of the policy.

0 ( +5 / -5 )

‘Mental Health’ and/or “Mental Illness” needs to be discussed openly here.

Why can’t .Japanese people. tell their friends, their teachers, their family, their doctors that they’re having ‘thoughts of suicide, ....thoughts of harming others’, etc.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

The constant doom and gloom doesn’t help. Time to end the restrictions for schools and kids activities.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

The ‘suicide season’ for teenagers and young ‘adults’ is fast approaching (Apr 1 - late June).

Let’s not wait for the ministry’s “preparing a social media support platform” for* ‘growing number of children with smartphones’. **Most metropolitan children have smartphones and prefer SNS to telephone calls.

For the rural children, Could we have the “toll-free suicide help line for young people” posted here? In the comments section?

Finally, can the above article be amended to add the toll-free suicide help line for young people”?

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Extremely shocking news but realistically true. The kids today are under strenuous conditions to perform academically and socially. The internet while good is also a negative impact on many kids via social platforms i.e. virtual bullying (VB). Though efforts have been made to combat VB it's almost impossible to stop it. The job market outlook by many older employees over 65 not willing to retire much less train the 40 to 55 age group is to blame as there is no upward movement for them to succeed, not withstanding the good ol boy network system to get a job in the first place. Many of the top jobs go towards the "in the network" vs best qualified. A recent example is the Mori incident. Had a younger person been properly trained by the elders then there would not be a need to bring an 80 yr old out of retirement to do the job due to Mr. Mori's resignation. All of this adds up to the youngsters and their "no hope for a future". Add SARS2 to the equation it brings down their motivation for education and compound the added home stresses well the number speaks for itself. Kids are simply not allowed to be kids anymore and that is clearly visible day by day. The root cause is the willingness and governments late acknowledgement. More social programs is not the answer. Technology is not the answer. Abuse at home by parents and teachers is not the answer. Kids simply need to be kids as they once used to.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

Teen suicide feeds on publicity so let's stop feeding.

Yes, let's ignore it. That'll help.

6 ( +7 / -1 )

Not ignore but stop putting it in the news. Quite different.

Monkey see... Monkey do is sadly true for suicides.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Parents need to step up! Parents NEED to tell their Children they love them! I have NEVER heard a Japanese parent tell their son/daughter that they love them. This is the result of FAILED parenting. Hug your kids, spend time with them, take them places..and most of all ASK THEM EVERYDAY how they are doing! Listen when the speak, and stop telling your children you are to "Busy". Continue this and those parents will be "Busy", planning a funeral! Get it together Japan! Do I have to teach you how to be a parent as well as teach you how to handle COVID-19?!?!

-1 ( +3 / -4 )

Just one thing to note, but demographics mean that this record number of suicides has come when the school--aged population is only around half what it was in 1980. So the suicide rate much have greatly risen. A further corollary of the demographics is that there are half as many kids chasing the pretty much the same number of places at academically-achieving schools. Which means less competition and what should be less academic pressure.

You can see how the population has developed on this Japanese link.

https://ecitizen.jp/population/

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Can’t attribute all the suicides to corona shutdown but destroying a kid’s chances, in their prime, to socialize or to compete in academics, sports, music etc., can damage mental health. What’s worse is the reason for the shutdowns are questionable at best.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

How sad and stressful, since I came to japan few years back one thing I immediately noticed was the amount of stress these little ones endure to conform to the rules, they are treated and mini soldiers an army of ignorant adults.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

*“This is the result of FAILED parenting.”@Ricky Sanchez  12:58p JST “Parents here need to step up!”*

@Ricky Sanchez makes some Great points:

*1) Parents NEED to tell Their Children they Love them!*

*2) Hug your kids, spend time with them, take them places..and, *

*3) ASK THEM EVERYDAY:*

A) What happened Today with your classmates/teachers/friends? AND,... *

B) *How are You doing? / How are you dealing with it?

*4) Listen when they speak; Stop telling your children you are too "Busy". *

“Sorry” to you parents(?) who think: “Our culture is different” and “*Don’t tell Us how to raise Our kids!**”*

1 ( +1 / -0 )

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