Suicide in Japan

:"For Japanese ritual suicide, see seppuku."

Suicide in Japan is considered a national problem.cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9F00E1DB173FF936A25754C0A96F958260&sec=health&spon=&scp=29&sq=suicide%20japan&st=cse|title=In Japan, Mired in Recession, Suicides Soar|last=Strom|first=Stephanie|date=15 July 1999|work=Health|publisher=The New York Times|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-20] cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article4170649.ece|title=Japan gripped by suicide epidemic|last=Lewis|first=Leo|date=19 June 2008|publisher=The Times (London)|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-20] Causes of suicide include unemployment (due to the economic recession in the 1990s), depression, and social pressures. Japan has one of the world's highest suicide rates amongst industrialized nations,cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=9C0CEEDD163FF93AA35755C0A9619C8B63|title=Asia:Japan: Guidelines to Reduce Suicide Rate|date=9 June 2007|work=World|publisher=The New York Times|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-20] and the Japanese government says the rate for 2006 is ninth highest in the world.cite news|url=http://www.cnn.com/2008/WORLD/asiapcf/04/24/detergent.suicide.ap/index.html|title=Girl's suicide leaves dozens ill from fumes|date=24 April 2008|work=/asia|publisher=CNN.com|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-20] In 2007, the number of suicides exceeded 30,000 for the tenth straight year.

The rapid increase in suicides since the 1990s has raised concerns, with 1998 having a 34.7% increase over the previous year.

Demographics and locations

Typically most suicides are men, with over 71% of suicides in 2007 being male. The rate among the over-60 population is also high, but people in their thirties are most likely to commit suicide.

The most frequent location for suicides is in Aokigahara, a forested area at the base of Mount Fuji.cite news|url=http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2008/jun/19/japan1|title=Nearly 100 Japanese commit suicide each day|last=McCurry|first=Justin|date=19 June 2008|publisher=The Guardian|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-20] In the period leading up to 1988, about 30 suicides occurred there every year.cite web|url=http://eric.ed.gov/ERICWebPortal/custom/portlets/recordDetails/detailmini.jsp?_nfpb=true&_&ERICExtSearch_SearchValue_0=EJ383602&ERICExtSearch_SearchType_0=no&accno=EJ383602|title=EJ383602 - Aokigahara-jukai: Suicide and Amnesia in Mt. Fuji's Black Forest|last=Takahashi|first=Yoshitomo|date=1988|publisher=Education Resources Information Center (ERIC)|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-20] In 1999, 74 occurred,cite news|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/558798.stm|title=Suicide manual could be banned |date=10 December 1999|work=World: Asia-Pacific|publisher=BBC News|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-20] the record until 2002 when 78 suicides were found.cite news|url=http://search.japantimes.co.jp/member/member.html?nn20030207b1.htm|title='Suicide forest' yields 78 corpses |date=7 February 2003|publisher=The Japan Times|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-20] The area is patrolled by police looking for suicides, and that same year 83 people intending suicide were found and taken into protective custody.

Railroad tracks are also a common place for suicide, and the Chūō Rapid Line is particularly known for a high number.cite news|url=http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9907E2DC173FF935A35755C0A9669C8B63&scp=1&sq=chuo%20japan%20suicide&st=cse|title=Kunitachi City Journal; Japanese Trains Try to Shed a Gruesome Appeal|last=French|first=Howard W.|date=6 June 2000|work=Health|publisher=The New York Times|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-20]

Methods

Common methods of suicide are jumping in front of trains, leaping off high places, hanging, or overdosing on medication. Rail companies will charge the families of those who commit suicide a fee depending on the severity of disrupted traffic. A newer method, gaining in popularity partly to publicity from Internet suicide websites, is to use household products to make hydrogen sulfide, a poisonous gas. In 2007, only 27 suicides used this gas, but in a span from February to June 2008, 517 suicides resulted from gas poisoning.

Cultural attitude toward suicide

Government response

Despite the recent economic upturn, suicide rates have continued to be high, prompting concern by the Japanese government.cite news|url=http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/asia/article2852762.ece|title=90 suicides a day spur Japan into action|last=Lewis|first=Leo|date=12 November 2007|publisher=The Times (London)|language=English|accessdate=2008-09-23] The government has released a nine-step plan, a "counter-suicide White Paper", in 2007 which it hopes will curb suicide by 20% over the next 10 years. The goals of the White Paper are to encourage investigation of the root causes of suicide in order to prevent it, change cultural attitude toward suicide, and improve treatment of unsuccessful suicides.

ee also

*List of countries by suicide rate
*List of OECD countries by suicide rate

References