title: Discussion based on analysis of the suicide rate and the average disposable income per household in Japan.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  Suicide is one of the major social issues in Japan. According to a report of the National Policy Agency, there were approximately 22 000 to 24 000 annual suicides between 1994 and 1997 and there have been over 30 000 annual suicides in Japan since 1998. For these reasons, we think it is important to discuss the economic factor related to suicides in recent years.
  
  
  METHODS
  In this study, we examined suicide rates and the average disposable income per household in Japan in the last 15 years (ie 1994-2008) and discuss the statistical analysis of the average disposable income per household and the associated suicide rates.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  During the research period, annual suicide rates per 100 000 population in Japan ranged from 16.9 to 25.5 among the total population, from 23.1 to 38.0 among men, and from 10.9 to 14.7 among women. The annual average disposable income per household (ten thousand yen) ranged from 424.0 to 549.9. The average disposable income per household was related to the suicide rate among the total population and among men. The average disposable income per household was not related to the suicide rate among women.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  We believe that this discussion will be useful in developing specific suicide preventive measures.
authors.affiliation: Department of Public Health, Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98, Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192, Japan. ke-inoue@fujita-hu.ac.jp.
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.affiliation: Department of Psychiatry, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine, Mie 514-8507, Japan; Department of Neuropsychiatry, Graduate School of Medicine, the University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-8655, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Nishimura
authors.affiliation: Tokyo Metropolitan Matsuzawa Hospital, Tokyo 156-0057, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Okazazi
authors.affiliation: Tokyo Medical Examiner's Office, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo 112-0012, Japan.
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Fukunaga