Japan's suicide rate soars
2008-06-19 12:07
Tokyo - The number of suicides in Japan rose to a near record in 2007 amid a sharp jump in elderly people killing themselves, police figures showed on Thursday.
Japan, which has one of the world's highest suicide rates, has in recent months seen a rash of people killing themselves by mixing bath salt and detergent - a method widely available on the internet.
The National Police Agency in an annual report said the number of suicides last year was 33 093, a 2.9% increase over 2006.
It was the second highest number of suicides since the country began compiling data in 1978, and the 10th straight year that the figure topped 30 000.
Depression was listed as the number one cause for suicides, followed by illness and debts, police said.
The number of suicides by people aged 60 or older jumped by 8.9% to 12 107, while those of people in their 30s rose by 6.0%.
While police did not offer analysis for the data, there have been growing concerns about loneliness and economic insecurity among elderly people.
Nearly three-quarters of the Japanese who killed themselves last year were men, while 60% were unemployed, police said.
Government anti-suicide plan
Japan has been struggling to contain suicide. Under a plan launched in 2006, the government aimed to decrease suicides by 20% by 2016 by requiring local governments and employers to pay attention to employees' mental health.
Japan's high suicide rate has been linked to a number of factors, including strong social pressure, a lack of religious stigma over suicide and the crumbling of the social safety net since the 1990s recession.
Japan has seen around 200 cases since late March of people killing themselves by mixing detergent and salt to generate hydrogen sulphide gas.
Authorities have urged internet providers to voluntarily close websites offering such information, while drug stores have also been asked to be on the lookout for suspicious customers.