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Japan gov't panel proposes new steps to reduce suicides
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The number of suicides in Japan fell below 30,000 in 2012 for the first time in 15 years and stood at 21,897 last year, after peaking at 34,427 in 2003, according to the National Police Agency. (Shutterstock/File)
A
n advisory panel to the Japanese government Wednesday proposed renewed efforts to reduce suicides by focusing more on postpartum depression, overwork and bullying in schools.
While the number of suicides in the country has been declining in recent years, the panel urged the government to aim for a 30 percent reduction over the next 10 years in view of lower suicide rates in other developed countries.
The number of suicides in Japan fell below 30,000 in 2012 for the first time in 15 years and stood at 21,897 last year, after peaking at 34,427 in 2003, according to the National Police Agency.
Based on the proposals, the government will finalize suicide prevention guidelines this summer, which are reviewed every five years.
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The new proposals come as the government is struggling to raise the birthrate amid a shortage of child care facilities, change the culture of overwork and reduce suicides linked to bullying in schools.
The previous guidelines in 2012 called for measures to address bullying and suicides by people affected by the March 2011 earthquake, tsunami and nuclear disasters.
The issue of excessive working hours has attracted renewed public attention since the suicide of a 24-year-old female employee of advertising giant Dentsu Inc. was recognized as a case of "karoshi," or death from overwork.
The panel urged a cut in the number of suicides per 100,000 people to less than 13.0 by 2026 from 18.5 in 2015. The number compares with 13.4 in the United States in 2014 and 7.5 in Britain in 2013.
