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© 2021 AFPPandemic raises Japan's suicide rate after decade of decline
By Shingo Ito TOKYO©2024 GPlusMedia Inc.
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© 2021 AFP
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mmwkdw
Whats troubling is the case of the 30 year old Woman who took her own life after being tested Positive under the pretense of avoiding infecting her Family... what if, the test was wrong ?
rcch
One of my favorite quotes, from the movie Cast Away: “ I know what I have to do. I gotta keep breathing. Because tomorrow the sun will rise. Who knows what the tide could bring? “
kurisupisu
Financial hardship notwithstanding.
Catching the virus might mean feeling like crap and it can also cause confusion-losing the ability to think straight...
Do the hustle
This is because of the economic hardship brought on by the pandemic. People losing their jobs and others having to work from home.
Vinke
Oxycodin
And also both: there have been reports that some people have taken their own lives after getting infected by covid, by "causing so much trouble and shame" for the people around them. :(
Penfold
Media overhype of COVID is what’s causing the rise in suicides.
rcch
Pride and group mentality are a big part of Japanese society. Example, when a person loses his/her job or business ( pride and fear of being considered unsuccessful ), or when people know he/she is infected ( shame and exclusion ). People care way too much about other people’s opinions and the way they look at them. That’s why “name and shame” is a big thing in Japan. I wonder how many of the suicides were related to this. Instead of looking at themselves, they look at the world around them, family, friends, coworkers, society in general.
venze
Most melancholically, this is going to be a scary global affair. It will be one of the worst collateral damages and negative impacts of pandemic, only to be unfolding slowly as time goes on..
TrevorPeace
Any excuse is a good excuse.
Waywardnihon
Death by Covid in 2019 - 0
Death by suicide in 2019 - 20169
Death by Covid in first 21 days of 2021 - 1370
AgentX
There is just less and less to live for when we look to a future where the easily influenced masses are practically lining up to give more of their liberties, jobs and human rights away...
No form of lockdown will ever stop or slow COVID-19. Food must be delivered across the nation, trains and offices must be filled etc in order to avoid catastrophe.
Only once this virus, of little concern to the majority of the population, has run its course and enough people build an immunity (even if only a short time like other corona viruses) will we see the DAILY barrage of numbers decline. At that point the fear-mongering general public, mass-media and drug companies can claim victory and life can begin to normalise. But at what ongoing cost..?
kokontozai
Most countries face increase of suicide triggered by the Covid-19. I found an article explaining the same situation of the UK.
"2019-2020
4737 suicides were logged by the UK based non-profit organisation Samartians from the October 2020 to December 2020.
This is an exponential rise of 48% in suicide rates as compared to the data collated by Samartian projections in 2019. Which tallied 3201 deaths.
The social and economic consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic are considered to be a contributory factor to this unprecedented rise."
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Suicide_in_the_United_Kingdom
Tora
Suicide rate of Japan is 16 in 2019, while that of US is 15.3 in 2016. (I cannot find the recent suicide rate of the US.) Not so different.
https://ja.wikipedia.org/wiki/%E5%9B%BD%E3%81%AE%E8%87%AA%E6%AE%BA%E7%8E%87%E9%A0%86%E3%83%AA%E3%82%B9%E3%83%88
Redbear
Death by Covid in 2020 - 3,460
Death by suicide in 2020 - 20,919
and the above is the reason, why Suga had to take a balance approach. More Japanese died of suicide
than of Coivd. Yet, people scream Lock down! Without thinking of the effects of the policy.
Nator
Deaths by suicide possibly related to Covid - 770
I guess there would have been an increase whether there were strict government measures or not, so it's hard to know how much of that 770 is due to any of the government's measures.
It's very sad that there seems to have been an increase of 90 kids over the past year. Though it's worth noting that the increase happened after they went back to school, not when the schools were closed.
with the lockdown and safety measures Covid is currently killing around 1,000 people per day in the UK.
The various lockdowns and safety measures have dramatically reduced flu rates and flu deaths in many countries. Without them, the deaths from pneumonia and flu would be at least double, so it seems fair enough to assume that without the lockdown and safety measures the deaths from Covid would be at least double, probably much worse.
Imho, the issue in Japan is that the goverment is doing (some of) the lockdown measures, but without providing much in the way of financial support.
If they were providing financial support to companies and families, maybe the Covid rate would be low and the suicide rate would be low.
noriahojanen
Most Japanese victims of covid are very old (at age 70 and above); or those with comorbidities.
Suicides have been committed by younger, working age group of people. The rising cases of women are remarkable. Taking into account the nubmer of suicide attempts or suicidal tendency, this is also deadly and highly infectious among Japanese population.
drlucifer
Sorry. I find it difficult to believe any data released by the MLHW. Where is the data on number of deaths from diseases and natural causes.
Tora
That photo looks like a scene straight out of Blade Runner. Japan is a dystopian society. It is little wonder that the suicide rate is so high.
Ricky Sanchez
The problems start at home. When it comes to kids if they can not see their friends..then parents need to step up and show them more love! The problems are in the "typical" japanese home. If you have kids, tell them you love them throughout the day. Hug them, play with them, etc. Don't just give them a book to study and tell them be quiet. Let them be kids. Let them have fun, EVERYDAY! Parents are at fault, setting inattainable expectations...driving children to have no self worth.
Mr Kipling
There was also a few high profile celebrity suicides which has been shown to act as a catalyst for others to follow. It is unknown just how many of the suicides were due to covid pressures or other causes. The covid connection is reasonable speculation but speculation nevertheless.
Whatsnext
The pandemic is not the virus,
The pandemic is government response to the virus.
kurisupisu
Many people are suffering financially with little help from the government.
With the socialization that is given at school to be genki and smile,without being given the opportunity to give voice to concerns and fears, is it really any wonder that suicide rates increase?
Haaa Nemui
What’s the daily average for January this year and how does the rest of 2021 look?
Monty
I say it to this article also;
I hope that all the fear mongering people and panic sheering media finally understand what is the impact of their fear mongering and panic sheering words and articles.
sakurasuki
Since 2010, suicide trend in Japan is in constant decline both in actual number and also by number per 100 thousand inhabitants also shows decline trend.
2010 24.7
2011 24
2012 21.8
2013 21.4
2014 20
2015 18.9
2016 17.3
2017 16.8
2018 16.5
2019 16
3.7 percent increase, that means 750 people more compared to 2019, especially number shows that suicide in Japan in decline trend from 2020. This is data of number of suicide per year in Japan.
2010 31,690
2011 30,651
2012 27,858
2013 27,283
2014 25,427
2015 24,025
2016 21,897
2017 21,321
2018 20,840
2019 20,169
2020 20,919
But in 2020 it goes up again, the number of suicide each months from July 2020 to December 2020, surpasses the 2019 number
That what Patriarchy society looks like.
Those students can end up like people who just graduated after bubble in 2000, they having difficulty to find full time job. Since by the time economic recovering, companies only interested to hire new fresh graduate following years, those Japanese companies not interested to hire people who already graduated but still don't have any job.
https://www.magzter.com/ja/stories/Business/Bloomberg-Businessweek/The-Scars-Of-Japans-Employment-Ice-Age
Oxycodin
I have a gut feeling that those were probably not suicide but more likely death from COVID-19 instead
TokyoJoe
Death by Covid in 2020 - 3,460
Death by suicide in 2020 - 20,919