Suicide in Japan: present condition and prevention measures.
This article introduces the reader to present conditions and suicide prevention measures in Japan. The suicide rate has increased gradually since the early 1990s, reaching a postwar peak in 1998. The number of suicides has remained at about 30,000 every year since 1998. Middle-aged (55-59 years) and elderly men have especially high suicide rates. In 2002, The Council of Learned People on Measures Against Suicides (organized by the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare) released its report on national suicide prevention strategies. Although national suicide prevention strategies have just begun to be established, some prefectures or regions have undertaken unique suicide prevention measures.
Shiho
Yamashita
Y
National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Tokyo, Japan. yamashita-shiho@ipss.go.jp
Tohru
Takizawa
T
Shinji
Sakamoto
S
Manabu
Taguchi
T
Yuka
Takenoshita
T
Eriko
Tanaka
T
Ikuko
Sugawara
S
Naoki
Watanabe
W
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D017677:Age Distribution; D000368:Aged; D000369:Aged, 80 and over; D002648:Child; D004651:Employment; D005260:Female; D006293:Health Promotion / Q000458:organization & administration; D006801:Humans; D007564:Japan / Q000453:epidemiology; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D012111:Residence Characteristics; D017678:Sex Distribution; D013405:Suicide / Q000706:statistics & numerical data* / Q000639:trends; D000092864:Suicide Prevention