Mon 12 October 2020:
According to government data, the number of suicides jumped in August by 15.4 per cent to 1,854. Although a smaller proportion, the number of women taking their own lives jumped by about 40 per cent
Japan’s suicide rise shows that coronavirus pandemic is taking a toll on women, teenage girls and children.
Economically, the SARS-CoV-2 virus has disproportionately affected women, who are more likely to be in irregular employment in retail or service industries. They represent almost 66 per cent of recent job losses in Japan.
Japan is one of the few major economies to regularly release data on suicide, which remains a major societal issue.
The data point to what may be happening around the world as countries grapple with the fallout from mass unemployment and social isolation that is impacting certain groups of people more than others.
In Japan, the suicide rate has been steadily falling but it remains a top cause of premature deaths – more than 13,000 this year compared to less than 2,000 for COVID-19.
According to government data, the number of suicides jumped in August by 15.4 per cent to 1,854. Although a smaller proportion, the number of women taking their own lives jumped by about 40 per cent. The number of suicides of students in elementary to high school more than doubled to 59 from the same period last year.
“Up-to-date suicide numbers can help quickly determine which groups are at high-risk,” said Yasuyuki Sawada, the chief economist at Asian Development Bank and a University of Tokyo professor who has written books on suicide prevention and on its economic impact.
In his view, “If local governments can determine which age group or what occupations are showing higher risks for suicides, suicide prevention measures can be implemented swiftly.”
The World Health Organisation reports that mental health services are chronically underfunded everywhere, even though studies show that investing US into care for depression and anxiety can return US in economic productivity.
