title: Suicide in Japan: present condition and prevention measures.
abstract: 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.
authors.affiliation: National Institute of Population and Social Security Research, Tokyo, Japan. yamashita-shiho@ipss.go.jp
authors.forename: Yamashita
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Shiho
authors.forename: Takizawa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tohru
authors.forename: Sakamoto
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Shinji
authors.forename: Taguchi
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Manabu
authors.forename: Takenoshita
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Yuka
authors.forename: Tanaka
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Eriko
authors.forename: Sugawara
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ikuko
authors.forename: Watanabe
authors.initials: W
authors.lastname: Naoki
mesh_terms: 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