NextSharkNextShark.com
Latest NewsletterđŸ” Biden awards Asian artistsRead

Article

Japan Has More Suicide Deaths Than COVID-19 Deaths

suicide

    Asian America Daily - in under 5 minutes

    Get our collection of Asian America's most essential stories, to your inbox daily, for free!

    Unsure? Check out our Newsletter Archive

    More people are dying from suicide in Japan than the COVID-19 pandemic this year, new data reveals.

    A statistics report for October showed 2,153 people died from suicide in Japan while 2,087 people succumbed to the pandemic as of Nov. 27, according to CNN.

    “We didn’t even have a lockdown, and the impact of Covid is very minimal compared to other countries … but still we see this big increase in the number of suicides,” Waseda University associate professor Michiko Ueda, said. “That suggests other countries might see a similar or even bigger increase in the number of suicides in the future.”

    In total, there are 17,000 deaths linked to suicide this year to date, CBS News reported.

    At 16 per 100,000, Japan currently has the highest suicide rate among the G7 countries. Japan plans to lower that number by 2026 to 13 per 100,000. In 2018, the U.S. suicide rate was 14 per 100,000.

    Japan plans to increase its suicide prevention funding by adding $10 million to its $24 million budget.

    In October, women’s suicides increased by almost 83% while men’s rose to 23%. One possible idea behind it is that women make up a high percentage of the part-time working force, where layoffs often happen.

    The current pandemic is exacerbating the mental health issues Japan has been facing for years. Among the factors in the rise of suicide numbers in Japan include prolonged lockdowns, isolation from family and loved ones, unemployment, financial concerns and a lack of school structures.

    “We need to seriously confront reality,” Katsunobu Kato, a chief government spokesman, said as they announce new measures to help people through suicide hotlines and social media.

    Featured Image via Azlan DuPree (CC BY 2.0)

    Support our Journalism with a Contribution

    Many people might not know this, but despite our large and loyal following which we are immensely grateful for, NextShark is still a small bootstrapped startup that runs on no outside funding or loans.

    Everything you see today is built on the backs of warriors who have sacrificed opportunities to help give Asians all over the world a bigger voice.

    However, we still face many trials and tribulations in our industry, from figuring out the most sustainable business model for independent media companies to facing the current COVID-19 pandemic decimating advertising revenues across the board.

    We hope you consider making a contribution so we can continue to provide you with quality content that informs, educates and inspires the Asian community. Even a $1 contribution goes a long way.  Thank you for everyone's support. We love you all and can't appreciate you guys enough.

    Support NextShark

    Mastercard, Visa, Amex, Discover, Paypal