October 23, 2020

A noticeable decrease in the number of non-regular positions for women and an increase in domestic violence amid the COVID-19 pandemic may have caused the sharp rise in the number of suicides committed by women in the summer. This was pointed out during a hearing held on October 22 by a cross-party Dietmembers' group with ministry officials.

The hearing took place in the Diet building as part of the general assembly of the Parliamentarians' League for Progress on Measures to Prevent Suicides. Japanese Communist Party Secretariat Head Koike Akira and JCP member of the House of Representatives Hatano Kimie attended the meeting.

The supra-partisan legislators' league will propose that the government improve financial support for workers who lost their jobs or are temporarily laid off due to corona-related business suspensions.

JCP Koike, vice-chairman of the league, said, "The spike in suicides among young people and women is very serious. The league should urgently do something to deal with it." He stressed the need for administrative support measures by saying, "Nearly one million women non-regular workers lost their jobs associated with the spread of COVID-19, but many of them have been left without any assistance."

In the hearing, Shimizu Yasuyuki, representative director of a Health Ministry-designated suicide prevention center, analyzed trends in suicidal ideation during the ongoing coronavirus crisis. He pointed out that problems which may have caused the increase in suicides such as a sharp drop in the number of non-regular jobs for women and a jump in domestic violence are becoming serious.

Shimizu also pointed out that governmental financial support and compensation for coronavirus-caused loss of earnings may probably work to curb the increase in suicides. He warned, "Termination of the existing support measures could lead to a further increase in suicides."

Past related article:
> Amid coronavirus crisis, number of women non-regular workers decreases by 1 million [May 31, 2020]