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Japan Press Service Co., Ltd. is the only news agency providing information of progressive, democratic movements in Japan

Over 30,000 people committed suicide in Japan last year

The National Police Agency on June 1 reported that 32,552 people committed suicide in Japan last year, up 227 from the previous year. The number has exceeded 30,000 for eight consecutive years.

Young people who killed themselves in their 20s (5 percent increase) and 30s (6.3 percent increase) increased, while those who were over 40 years old accounted for about 70 percent.

As for reasons behind suicides, health problems came on top, followed by livelihood, family, and job-related difficulties.

The main factor of suicides among those in their 40s and 50s was financial and livelihood problems associated most often with debt burdens and business slumps.

Lawyer Kawahito Hiroshi regarded the number of suicides as abnormal, saying, "It is said that the Japanese economy has recovered, but the ever-increasing number of suicides indicates that such an economic recovery does not lead to a better life and well-being of Japanese people. The increase in those who committed suicides in their 20s and 30s shows how distorted Japanese society really is."
- Akahata June 2, 2006