TOKYO -- Suicides among elementary, junior high and high school students in Japan hit a record high in 2024 despite the overall number of suicides in the country falling to the second-lowest level since 1978, when data collection began.

The Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare on March 28 released confirmed figures based on suicide statistics from the National Police Agency. A total of 20,320 people took their own lives in 2024, down 1,517 from the previous year.

There were no suicides related to the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami and the ensuing nuclear disaster for the first time. Between 2011 and 2023, Japan saw a total of 252 suicides (167 men and 85 women) related to the major disasters in March 2011, primarily in the three heavily affected prefectures of Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima. The figure peaked in 2011 at 55 cases, and the numbers hovered between 20 and 39 annually until 2017. Since 2018, the count had generally decreased to fewer than 10.

Among disaster-related suicides, 170 people had no occupation, significantly outnumbering the 77 with jobs. By age group, the numbers were higher among middle-aged and older individuals, with 59 cases among those in their 50s, 55 in their 60s, 36 in their 70s and 30 in their 40s. Fukushima saw the highest number of suicides among the disaster-hit prefectures, at 119, followed by Miyagi at 64 and Iwate at 59. In seven other prefectures, there were a total of 10 disaster-related suicides. While Iwate and Miyagi recorded their highest suicide figures in 2011, Fukushima's peak was in 2013 with 23 cases, possibly influenced by prolonged evacuations following the meltdowns at Tokyo Electric Power Company Holdings Inc.'s Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Station.

While the overall number of suicides decreased in 2024, the number of elementary to high school students who took their own lives reached a record high of 529 -- 16 more than in 2023. As the number of child suicides has remained high, hovering around 500 since 2020, the welfare ministry released figures by prefecture for the first time.

To prevent the identification of individuals, breakdowns by elementary, junior high and high school and by gender were partially withheld when the figures were small. Tokyo had the highest number of child suicides, recording 75 cases, followed by Saitama Prefecture with 43, Kanagawa Prefecture with 39, and Aichi and Osaka prefectures with 32 each, reflecting the larger populations in those areas.

An official at the ministry called for strengthened measures at the prefectural level, saying, "There are trends in demography such as gender by region. We want local authorities to share the understanding that these are regional issues and consider responses."

(Japanese original by Naohiro Koenuma, Lifestyle, Science & Environment News Department)

Suicide prevention hotline in Japan with English support:

TELL Japan (English): https://telljp.com/ ;

Telephone hotline: 03-5774-0992 (Daily)

Online chat: https://telljp.com/lifeline/tell-chat/ ;

Counseling inquiries: 03-4550-1146 (Mon.-Fri., 10 a.m.-5 p.m.)

A selection of emergency numbers with multilingual support is also provided at the bottom of their home page.

*Operating hours for the telephone hotline and online chat depend on the day and are subject to change. Check the Facebook page linked below for up-to-date information:

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