Suicide in Japan

Suicide deaths per 100,000 persons (1960–2017) in G7 countries, Russia and South Korea^[1]

In Japan, suicide (自殺, jisatsu) is considered a major social issue.^[2]^[3] In 2017, the country had the seventh highest suicide rate in the OECD, at 14.9 per 100,000 persons,^[4] and in 2019 the country had the second highest suicide rate among the G7 developed nations.^[5]

In 1997, suicide rates spiked heavily, increasing by 34.7% in 1998 alone and remaining relatively high for over a decade.^[2] After peaking in 2003, suicide rates have been gradually declining, falling to the lowest on record (since 1978) in 2019.^[6] Monthly suicide rates in Japan increased by 16% between July and October 2020, due to a number of reasons attributed to the COVID-19 pandemic.^[7] In 2022, suicide rates in Japan also increased by 17% from 2020 alone, due to a number of factors attributed to the spread of the COVID-19 Omicron variant.

70% of suicides in Japan are male,^[8] and it is the leading cause of death in men aged 20–44.^[9]

Historically, cultural attitudes towards suicide in Japan have been described as "tolerant", with certain types of suicides being considered honorable, especially during military service. For example, seppuku, a form of ritual suicide by self-disembowelment, was practiced mainly by samurai to avoid dishonor, such as after defeat in battle or after bringing shame upon oneself. During World War II, the Empire of Japan regularly employed banzai charge suicide attacks, and towards the end of the war, kamikaze units,^[10] and encouraged suicide as a preferable alternative to capture.^[11]

^ "Health status - Suicide rates - OECD Data". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Retrieved 7 May 2020.
^ ^a ^b Strom, Stephanie (15 July 1999). "In Japan, Mired in Recession, Suicides Soar". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
^ Lewis, Leo (19 June 2008). "Japan gripped by suicide epidemic". The Times. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008.
^ "Interactive charts by the OECD". OECD Data. Retrieved 18 March 2020.
^ "Age-standardized suicide rates (per 100 000 population)". World Health Organization. Retrieved 29 March 2021.
^ Osaki, Tomohiro (17 January 2020). "Suicides in Japan fell below 20,000 to record low last year". The Japan Times Online. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 17 March 2020.
^ Tanaka, Takanao; Okamoto, Shohei (15 January 2021). "Increase in suicide following an initial decline during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan". Nature Human Behaviour. 5 (2): 229–238. doi:10.1038/s41562-020-01042-z. ISSN 2397-3374. PMID 33452498.
^ "令和元年中における自殺の状況" (PDF). National Police Agency. 17 March 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 July 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.
^ Chambers, Andrew (3 August 2010). "Japan: ending the culture of the 'honourable' suicide". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 21 March 2011.
^ "In Japanese culture, for example, there are basically two types of suicide: honorable and dishonorable suicide. Honorable suicide is a means of protecting the reputation of one's family after a member has been found guilty of a dishonorable deed such as embezzlement or flunking out of college, or to save the nation as in the case of the kamikaze pilots in World War II. Dishonorable suicide is when one takes his or her life for personal reasons in order to escape some turmoil. This is thought of as a cowardly way out of life and a coward can only bring dishonor to his family." - "The Moral Dimensions of Properly Evaluating and Defining Suicide", by Edward S. Harris, Chowan College
^ Astroth, Alexander (2019). Mass Suicides on Saipan and Tinian, 1944: An Examination of the Civilian Deaths in Historical Context. McFarland & Company. pp. 85–98. ISBN 978-1476674568.

[1] "Health status - Suicide rates - OECD Data". Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD). Retrieved 7 May 2020.

[NYT-2] Strom, Stephanie (15 July 1999). "In Japan, Mired in Recession, Suicides Soar". The New York Times. Retrieved 20 September 2008.

[Times-3] Lewis, Leo (19 June 2008). "Japan gripped by suicide epidemic". The Times. Archived from the original on 7 October 2008. Retrieved 20 September 2008.

[4] "Interactive charts by the OECD". OECD Data. Retrieved 18 March 2020.

[5] "Age-standardized suicide rates (per 100 000 population)". World Health Organization. Retrieved 29 March 2021.

[6] Osaki, Tomohiro (17 January 2020). "Suicides in Japan fell below 20,000 to record low last year". The Japan Times Online. ISSN 0447-5763. Retrieved 17 March 2020.

[7] Tanaka, Takanao; Okamoto, Shohei (15 January 2021). "Increase in suicide following an initial decline during the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan". Nature Human Behaviour. 5 (2): 229–238. doi:10.1038/s41562-020-01042-z. ISSN 2397-3374. PMID 33452498.

[:0-8] "令和元年中における自殺の状況" (PDF). National Police Agency. 17 March 2020. Archived (PDF) from the original on 31 July 2020. Retrieved 31 July 2020.

[Chambers-9] Chambers, Andrew (3 August 2010). "Japan: ending the culture of the 'honourable' suicide". The Guardian. London. Retrieved 21 March 2011.

[10] "In Japanese culture, for example, there are basically two types of suicide: honorable and dishonorable suicide. Honorable suicide is a means of protecting the reputation of one's family after a member has been found guilty of a dishonorable deed such as embezzlement or flunking out of college, or to save the nation as in the case of the kamikaze pilots in World War II. Dishonorable suicide is when one takes his or her life for personal reasons in order to escape some turmoil. This is thought of as a cowardly way out of life and a coward can only bring dishonor to his family." - "The Moral Dimensions of Properly Evaluating and Defining Suicide", by Edward S. Harris, Chowan College

[11] Astroth, Alexander (2019). Mass Suicides on Saipan and Tinian, 1944: An Examination of the Civilian Deaths in Historical Context. McFarland & Company. pp. 85–98. ISBN 978-1476674568.

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