April 6, 2023

A cross-party parliamentarians' league of which Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira serves as a vice chair held talks with Prime Minister Kishida Fumio at the PM official residence on April 5, demanding that the government take measures to help to prevent children's suicides.

According to the league, 514 children from six to 15 years of age committed suicide in 2022, the highest number ever. Suicide is the No.1 cause of death among teenagers. However, neither governmental policy nor budget priorities currently exist regarding measures to combat child suicides. There is also no government organization specialized in dealing with children's suicides. Therefore, an overall survey of the actual situation has not taken place.

Koike told PM Kishida that the number of adults' suicides declined by more than 10,000 from 15 years ago after the law on suicide prevention was enacted in 2006 under the sponsorship of supra-partisan lawmakers. Koike said, "Stepped-up government efforts are necessary to protect schoolchildren's lives."

PM Kishida replied, "I will take your demand seriously and consider the setting up of a specialized division." He also said that he will bring up the issue with the Ministry of Education in regard to incorporating a budget for children's suicide prevention.

The written demand handed to PM Kishida by the legislators' league calls on the newly-established Children and Families Agency to implement ten policies which include: establishing an expertise organ tackling children's suicides; installing a mechanism to comprehensively analyze all the information concerning children's suicides; and having all schools in Japan take measures to prevent children's suicides.