Not long after Japan ramped up its fight against the coronavirus last spring, Nazuna Hashimoto started suffering panic attacks. The gym in Osaka where she worked as a personal trainer suspended operations, and her friends were staying home at the recommendation of the government.

Afraid to be alone, she would call her boyfriend of just a few months and ask him to come over. Even then, she was sometimes unable to stop crying. Her depression, which had been diagnosed earlier in the year, spiraled. “The world I was living in was already small,” she said. “But I felt it become smaller.”

By July, Hashimoto could see no way out, and she tried to kill herself. Her boyfriend found her, called an ambulance and saved her life. She is speaking out publicly about her experience now because she wants to remove the stigma associated with talking about mental health in Japan.

While the pandemic has been difficult for many in Japan, the pressures have been compounded for women. As in many countries, more women have lost their jobs. In Tokyo, the country’s largest metropolis, about 1 in 5 women live alone, and the exhortations to stay home and avoid visiting family have exacerbated feelings of isolation. Other women have struggled with the deep disparities in the division of housework and child care during the work-from-home era, or suffered from a rise in domestic violence and sexual assault.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-appoints-minister-of-loneliness-to-fight-pandemic-driven-isolation-364026">Japan appoints 'Minister of Loneliness' to fight pandemic-driven isolation</a>

The rising psychological and physical toll of the pandemic has been accompanied by a worrisome spike in suicide among women. In Japan, 6,976 women took their lives last year, nearly 15% more than in 2019. It was the first year-over-year increase in more than a decade.

Each suicide — and suicide attempt — represents an individual tragedy rooted in a complex constellation of reasons. But the increase among women, which extended across seven straight months last year, has concerned government officials and mental health experts who have worked to reduce what had been among the highest rates of suicide in the world. (While more men than women killed themselves last year, fewer men did so than in 2019. Overall, suicides increased by slightly less than 4%.)

The situation has reinforced long-standing challenges for Japan. Talking about mental health issues, or seeking help, is still difficult in a society that emphasizes stoicism.

The pandemic has also amplified the stresses in a culture that is grounded in social cohesion and relies on peer pressure to drive compliance with government requests to wear masks and practice good hygiene. Women, who are often designated as primary caregivers, at times fear public humiliation if they somehow fail to uphold these measures or get infected with the coronavirus.

“Women bear the burden of doing virus prevention,” said Yuki Nishimura, a director of the Japanese Association of Mental Health Services. “Women have to look after their families’ health, and they have to look after cleanliness and can get looked down upon if they are not doing it right.”

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/pandemic-raises-japan-suicide-rate-after-decade-of-decline-358517" hreflang="en">Pandemic raises Japan suicide rate after decade of decline</a>

In one widely publicized account, a 30-something woman who had been recuperating from the coronavirus at home killed herself. The Japanese media seized on her note expressing anguish over the possibility that she had infected others and caused them trouble, while experts questioned whether shame may have driven her to despair.

“Unfortunately the current tendency is to blame the victim,” said Michiko Ueda, an associate professor of political science at Waseda University in Tokyo who has researched suicide. Ueda found in surveys last year that 40% of respondents worried about social pressure if they contracted the virus.

“We don’t basically support you if you are not ‘one of us,’” said Ueda. “And if you have mental health issues you are not one of us.”

Experts have also worried that a succession of Japanese film and television stars who took their own lives last year may have spurred a string of copycat suicides. After Yuko Takeuchi, a popular, award-winning actress, took her life in late September, the number of women taking their own lives in the following month jumped by close to 90% compared to the previous year.

Shortly after Takeuchi’s death, Nao, 30, started writing a blog to chronicle her lifelong battles with depression and eating disorders. She wrote candidly about her suicide attempt three years earlier.

Also read|&nbsp;<a data-ctorig="https://www.wionews.com/world/pandemic-raises-japan-suicide-rate-after-decade-of-decline-358517" data-cturl="https://www.google.com/url?client=internal-element-cse&amp;cx=006054055338965708568:09spwrlibei&amp;q=https://www.wionews.com/world/pandemic-raises-japan-suicide-rate-after-decade-of-decline-358517&amp;sa=U&amp;ved=2ahUKEwjLvbyH2__uAhWPxjgGHdJcC8s4ChAWMAN6BAgIEAI&amp;usg=AOvVaw2EHco3uKQXqvTpqcnnhg43" dir="ltr" href="https://www.wionews.com/world/pandemic-raises-japan-suicide-rate-after-decade-of-decline-358517" target="_blank">Pandemic raises Japan&nbsp;suicide&nbsp;rate after decade of decline</a>

Such openness about mental health struggles is still relatively rare in Japan. The celebrity suicides prompted Nao, whose family name has been withheld at her request to protect her privacy, to reflect on how she might have reacted if she had hit her emotional nadir during the pandemic.

“When you’re at home alone, you feel very isolated from society and that feeling is really painful,” she said. “Just imagining if I was in that situation right now, I think the suicide attempt would have happened a lot earlier, and probably I think I would have succeeded.”

Writing about her challenges, Nao, who is now married, said she wanted to help others who might be feeling desperate, particularly at a time when so many people are sequestered from friends and colleagues.

“Knowing someone went through or is going through something similar as you — and knowing that someone is seeking professional help for that and that it actually helped — would encourage people to do a similar thing,” said Nao, who said she wanted to help remove the taboos associated with mental illness in Japan.

Nao’s husband could see how much she struggled with the long working hours and brutal office culture at the consulting firm where they first met. Then when she quit, she felt adrift.

During the pandemic, women have suffered disproportionate job losses. They made up the bulk of employees within the industries most affected by infection control measures, including restaurants, bars and hotels.

About half of all working women hold part-time or contract jobs, and when business flatlined, companies cut those employees first. In the first nine months of last year, 1.44 million such workers lost their jobs, more than half of them women.

Although Nao quit her consulting job voluntarily to seek psychiatric treatment, she remembers feeling wracked with insecurity, no longer able to pay her rent. When she and her then-fiancé decided to accelerate their wedding plans, her father accused her of being selfish.

“I just felt like I lost everything,” she recalled.

Those feelings, she said, triggered the depression that led to her suicide attempt. After spending some time in a psychiatric hospital and continuing medication, her self-confidence improved. She found a four-day-a-week job working in the digital operation of a magazine group and is now able to manage the workload.

In the past, suicide rates in Japan have spiked during times of economic crisis, including after the burst of the property-based bubble in the 1990s and the global downturn in 2008.

During those periods, it was men who were most affected by job losses and who killed themselves at higher rates. Historically, suicides among men in Japan have outnumbered those among women by a factor of at least 2-1.

“They became more desperate after losing their jobs or fortunes,” said Testuya Matsubayashi, a professor of political science at Osaka University who specializes in social epidemiology.

Last year, Matsubayashi noted that in those Japanese prefectures with the highest unemployment rates, suicides among women under 40 rose the most. More than two-thirds of the women who killed themselves in 2020 were unemployed.

Among women under 40, suicides rose by close to 25%, and among adolescents, the number of high school girls taking their lives doubled last year.

In Hashimoto’s case, fears of financial dependence contributed to her sense of hopelessness.

Even when the gym where she worked as a personal trainer reopened, she did not feel emotionally stable enough to return. She then felt guilty about relying on her boyfriend, emotionally and financially.

She had met Nozomu Takeda, 23, who works in the construction industry, at the gym, where he was her training client. They had been dating only three months when she confided that her depression was becoming untenable.

Unable to afford therapy and suffering severe anxiety attacks, she said she identified with others who “felt very pushed into a corner.”

When she attempted suicide, all she could think about was freeing Takeda from the responsibility of taking care of her. “I wanted to take the burden off him,” she said.

Even those who have not lost jobs may have come under extra stress. Before the pandemic, working from home was extremely rare in Japan. Then women suddenly had to worry not only about pleasing their bosses from afar, but also about juggling new safety and hygiene protocols for their children, or protecting elderly parents who were more vulnerable to the virus.

The expectations to excel did not change, but their contact with friends and other support networks diminished.

“If they can’t get together with other people or share their stresses with other people, then it’s not really surprising” that they are feeling pressured or depressed, said Kumiko Nemoto, a professor of sociology at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies.

Having survived her own suicide attempt, Hashimoto now wants to help others learn to talk through their emotional problems and connect them to professionals.

Takeda says he appreciates how Hashimoto speaks openly about her depression. “She is the type of person who really shares what she needs and what is wrong,” he said. “So it was very easy for me to support her because she vocalizes what she needs.”

Together, the couple developed an app, which they are calling Bloste (short for “blow off steam”), to match therapists with those seeking counseling. Hashimoto is trying to recruit both seasoned professionals and those at the start of their careers, who are more likely to charge affordable rates for young clients.

Eventually, she would like to train as a therapist herself, with a special focus on women.

“The country has mainly focused on moving women up the career ladder and their economic well-being,” Hashimoto said. “But I would like to emphasize women’s mental health.”

—

If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the United States at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). In Japan, contact TELL Lifeline at 03-5774-0992 or telljp.com/lifeline/, or go to the Japanese-language site inochinodenwa.org. You can find a list of additional resources at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.

Not long after Japan ramped up its fight against the coronavirus last spring, Nazuna Hashimoto started suffering panic attacks. The gym in Osaka where she worked as a personal trainer suspended operations, and her friends were staying home at the recommendation of the government.

Not long after Japan ramped up its fight against the coronavirus last spring, Nazuna Hashimoto started suffering panic attacks. The gym in Osaka where she worked as a personal trainer suspended operations, and her friends were staying home at the recommendation of the government. Afraid to be alone, she would call her boyfriend of just a few months and ask him to come over. Even then, she was sometimes unable to stop crying. Her depression, which had been diagnosed earlier in the year, spiraled. “The world I was living in was already small,” she said. “But I felt it become smaller.” By July, Hashimoto could see no way out, and she tried to kill herself. Her boyfriend found her, called an ambulance and saved her life. She is speaking out publicly about her experience now because she wants to remove the stigma associated with talking about mental health in Japan. While the pandemic has been difficult for many in Japan, the pressures have been compounded for women. As in many countries, more women have lost their jobs. In Tokyo, the country’s largest metropolis, about 1 in 5 women live alone, and the exhortations to stay home and avoid visiting family have exacerbated feelings of isolation. Other women have struggled with the deep disparities in the division of housework and child care during the work-from-home era, or suffered from a rise in domestic violence and sexual assault. Also read| Japan appoints 'Minister of Loneliness' to fight pandemic-driven isolation The rising psychological and physical toll of the pandemic has been accompanied by a worrisome spike in suicide among women. In Japan, 6,976 women took their lives last year, nearly 15% more than in 2019. It was the first year-over-year increase in more than a decade. Each suicide — and suicide attempt — represents an individual tragedy rooted in a complex constellation of reasons. But the increase among women, which extended across seven straight months last year, has concerned government officials and mental health experts who have worked to reduce what had been among the highest rates of suicide in the world. (While more men than women killed themselves last year, fewer men did so than in 2019. Overall, suicides increased by slightly less than 4%.) The situation has reinforced long-standing challenges for Japan. Talking about mental health issues, or seeking help, is still difficult in a society that emphasizes stoicism. The pandemic has also amplified the stresses in a culture that is grounded in social cohesion and relies on peer pressure to drive compliance with government requests to wear masks and practice good hygiene. Women, who are often designated as primary caregivers, at times fear public humiliation if they somehow fail to uphold these measures or get infected with the coronavirus. “Women bear the burden of doing virus prevention,” said Yuki Nishimura, a director of the Japanese Association of Mental Health Services. “Women have to look after their families’ health, and they have to look after cleanliness and can get looked down upon if they are not doing it right.” Also read| Pandemic raises Japan suicide rate after decade of decline In one widely publicized account, a 30-something woman who had been recuperating from the coronavirus at home killed herself. The Japanese media seized on her note expressing anguish over the possibility that she had infected others and caused them trouble, while experts questioned whether shame may have driven her to despair. “Unfortunately the current tendency is to blame the victim,” said Michiko Ueda, an associate professor of political science at Waseda University in Tokyo who has researched suicide. Ueda found in surveys last year that 40% of respondents worried about social pressure if they contracted the virus. “We don’t basically support you if you are not ‘one of us,’” said Ueda. “And if you have mental health issues you are not one of us.” Experts have also worried that a succession of Japanese film and television stars who took their own lives last year may have spurred a string of copycat suicides. After Yuko Takeuchi, a popular, award-winning actress, took her life in late September, the number of women taking their own lives in the following month jumped by close to 90% compared to the previous year. Shortly after Takeuchi’s death, Nao, 30, started writing a blog to chronicle her lifelong battles with depression and eating disorders. She wrote candidly about her suicide attempt three years earlier. Also read| Pandemic raises Japan suicide rate after decade of decline Such openness about mental health struggles is still relatively rare in Japan. The celebrity suicides prompted Nao, whose family name has been withheld at her request to protect her privacy, to reflect on how she might have reacted if she had hit her emotional nadir during the pandemic. “When you’re at home alone, you feel very isolated from society and that feeling is really painful,” she said. “Just imagining if I was in that situation right now, I think the suicide attempt would have happened a lot earlier, and probably I think I would have succeeded.” Writing about her challenges, Nao, who is now married, said she wanted to help others who might be feeling desperate, particularly at a time when so many people are sequestered from friends and colleagues. “Knowing someone went through or is going through something similar as you — and knowing that someone is seeking professional help for that and that it actually helped — would encourage people to do a similar thing,” said Nao, who said she wanted to help remove the taboos associated with mental illness in Japan. Nao’s husband could see how much she struggled with the long working hours and brutal office culture at the consulting firm where they first met. Then when she quit, she felt adrift. During the pandemic, women have suffered disproportionate job losses. They made up the bulk of employees within the industries most affected by infection control measures, including restaurants, bars and hotels. About half of all working women hold part-time or contract jobs, and when business flatlined, companies cut those employees first. In the first nine months of last year, 1.44 million such workers lost their jobs, more than half of them women. Although Nao quit her consulting job voluntarily to seek psychiatric treatment, she remembers feeling wracked with insecurity, no longer able to pay her rent. When she and her then-fiancé decided to accelerate their wedding plans, her father accused her of being selfish. “I just felt like I lost everything,” she recalled. Those feelings, she said, triggered the depression that led to her suicide attempt. After spending some time in a psychiatric hospital and continuing medication, her self-confidence improved. She found a four-day-a-week job working in the digital operation of a magazine group and is now able to manage the workload. In the past, suicide rates in Japan have spiked during times of economic crisis, including after the burst of the property-based bubble in the 1990s and the global downturn in 2008. During those periods, it was men who were most affected by job losses and who killed themselves at higher rates. Historically, suicides among men in Japan have outnumbered those among women by a factor of at least 2-1. “They became more desperate after losing their jobs or fortunes,” said Testuya Matsubayashi, a professor of political science at Osaka University who specializes in social epidemiology. Last year, Matsubayashi noted that in those Japanese prefectures with the highest unemployment rates, suicides among women under 40 rose the most. More than two-thirds of the women who killed themselves in 2020 were unemployed. Among women under 40, suicides rose by close to 25%, and among adolescents, the number of high school girls taking their lives doubled last year. In Hashimoto’s case, fears of financial dependence contributed to her sense of hopelessness. Even when the gym where she worked as a personal trainer reopened, she did not feel emotionally stable enough to return. She then felt guilty about relying on her boyfriend, emotionally and financially. She had met Nozomu Takeda, 23, who works in the construction industry, at the gym, where he was her training client. They had been dating only three months when she confided that her depression was becoming untenable. Unable to afford therapy and suffering severe anxiety attacks, she said she identified with others who “felt very pushed into a corner.” When she attempted suicide, all she could think about was freeing Takeda from the responsibility of taking care of her. “I wanted to take the burden off him,” she said. Even those who have not lost jobs may have come under extra stress. Before the pandemic, working from home was extremely rare in Japan. Then women suddenly had to worry not only about pleasing their bosses from afar, but also about juggling new safety and hygiene protocols for their children, or protecting elderly parents who were more vulnerable to the virus. The expectations to excel did not change, but their contact with friends and other support networks diminished. “If they can’t get together with other people or share their stresses with other people, then it’s not really surprising” that they are feeling pressured or depressed, said Kumiko Nemoto, a professor of sociology at Kyoto University of Foreign Studies. Having survived her own suicide attempt, Hashimoto now wants to help others learn to talk through their emotional problems and connect them to professionals. Takeda says he appreciates how Hashimoto speaks openly about her depression. “She is the type of person who really shares what she needs and what is wrong,” he said. “So it was very easy for me to support her because she vocalizes what she needs.” Together, the couple developed an app, which they are calling Bloste (short for “blow off steam”), to match therapists with those seeking counseling. Hashimoto is trying to recruit both seasoned professionals and those at the start of their careers, who are more likely to charge affordable rates for young clients. Eventually, she would like to train as a therapist herself, with a special focus on women. “The country has mainly focused on moving women up the career ladder and their economic well-being,” Hashimoto said. “But I would like to emphasize women’s mental health.” — If you are having thoughts of suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline in the United States at 1-800-273-8255 (TALK). In Japan, contact TELL Lifeline at 03-5774-0992 or telljp.com/lifeline/, or go to the Japanese-language site inochinodenwa.org. You can find a list of additional resources at SpeakingOfSuicide.com/resources.

As pandemic took hold, suicide rose among Japanese women

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday launched a cabinet aimed at easing loneliness and stress among its citizens. Suicide rates across the country have increased, marking the first rise in 11 years, prompting officials to find new measures to ease the pressure on people.

Owing to the restrictions in place to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, social gatherings in the country have remained largely restricted. Suga on Friday tapped Tetsushi Sakamoto for the job, who is expected to coordinate work across different ministries and agencies.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-japans-rising-suicide-rate-346567/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

"Women especially are feeling more isolated and face increasing suicide rates," Nikkie Asia quoted Suga as saying to Sakamoto.&nbsp;"I'd like you to examine the issue and put forward a comprehensive strategy", he reportedly said further.

Suga also focused on the rise in suicides especially among women, and Sakamoto is now expected to curate a team to host an emergency forum in a bid to come up with a plan this month.

<div class="videoWrapper trancodeVideo"><iframe allowfullscreen="" autoplay="1" class="includeVideo" frameborder="0" height="350" src="https://www.wionews.com/videos/gravitas-japans-minister-of-happiness-364132/embed" style="width:100%;max-width:560px;" width="560"></iframe></div>

Sakamoto told reporters after the meeting that he hopes to promote activities aimed at preventing loneliness and social isolation. 
 
The country had one of the world's highest suicide rates, which changed over the last decade. 20,919 people in Japan died by suicide in 2020, marking a 3.7 per cent surge compared to 2019.

Also read:&nbsp;<a href="http://13.235.153.162/world/pandemic-raises-japan-suicide-rate-after-decade-of-decline-358517" hreflang="en">Pandemic raises Japan suicide rate after decade of decline</a>

Japan is not the only country to come up with such measures. In 2018, the United Kingdom government created a cabinet of ministers to fight loneliness, especially among its elderly.

But in Japan, the issue is not age-specific and affects people among all age groups.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday launched a cabinet aimed at easing loneliness and stress among its citizens. Suicide rates across the country have increased, marking the first rise in 11 years, prompting officials to find new measures to ease the pressure on people.

Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga on Friday launched a cabinet aimed at easing loneliness and stress among its citizens. Suicide rates across the country have increased, marking the first rise in 11 years, prompting officials to find new measures to ease the pressure on people. Owing to the restrictions in place to fight the COVID-19 pandemic, social gatherings in the country have remained largely restricted. Suga on Friday tapped Tetsushi Sakamoto for the job, who is expected to coordinate work across different ministries and agencies. "Women especially are feeling more isolated and face increasing suicide rates," Nikkie Asia quoted Suga as saying to Sakamoto. "I'd like you to examine the issue and put forward a comprehensive strategy", he reportedly said further. Suga also focused on the rise in suicides especially among women, and Sakamoto is now expected to curate a team to host an emergency forum in a bid to come up with a plan this month. Sakamoto told reporters after the meeting that he hopes to promote activities aimed at preventing loneliness and social isolation. The country had one of the world's highest suicide rates, which changed over the last decade. 20,919 people in Japan died by suicide in 2020, marking a 3.7 per cent surge compared to 2019. Also read: Pandemic raises Japan suicide rate after decade of decline Japan is not the only country to come up with such measures. In 2018, the United Kingdom government created a cabinet of ministers to fight loneliness, especially among its elderly. But in Japan, the issue is not age-specific and affects people among all age groups.

Japan appoints 'Minister of Loneliness' to fight pandemic-driven isolation

The number of people taking their own lives in Japan rose for the first time in over a decade last year, as the pandemic reversed years of progress combatting a stubbornly high suicide rate.

Japan's health and welfare ministry said Friday that 20,919 people died by suicide in 2020 according to preliminary data, up 3.7 per cent from the previous year. That compares with 3,460 deaths from coronavirus in the same period.

It marks the first year-on-year rise in suicides in more than a decade, with women and children, in particular, taking their lives at higher rates.

Japan has long had the highest suicide rate among the Group of Seven advanced countries -- though regionally South Korea registers higher figures. But the government has worked in recent years to better support people with mental health needs.

Japan has seen a smaller coronavirus outbreak than some countries, avoiding the harsh lockdown measures put in place elsewhere, and a fall in suicides during the first half of 2020 raised hopes that the pandemic's impact might be limited.

Also read|&nbsp;<a href="https://www.wionews.com/sports/tokyo-olympics-cancelled-japanese-government-issues-clarification-358428">Tokyo Olympics cancelled? Japanese government issues clarification</a>

But the figures began to rise in July after the first state of emergency was lifted in May, pattern experts say tracks with data showing suicides often drop in the first phase of crises such as conflicts and natural disasters, before rising sharply.

"For suicide in Japan, the rise was a major event and I think it was a big turning point," said Michiko Ueda, an associate professor of political science at Waseda University in Tokyo who studies suicide in Japan.

"The coronavirus is definitely a major factor," she told AFP, warning "we cannot deny the possibility that figures will rise again this year".

Virus 'highlighted gender gap'

Mental health experts around the world have warned that suicides could rise during the pandemic, driven by diverse factors including economic hardship, stress and family abuse.

In Japan, the rise is the first since 2009, in the wake of the global economic crisis, but it follows a different pattern from previous years.

"The coronavirus pandemic forced people into unusual circumstances," a health ministry official told AFP.

"In particular, problems experienced by women have been highlighted, which are thought to have led to suicides."

Also read|<a href="https://www.wionews.com/world/japan-to-undertake-mass-coronavirus-vaccination-with-eye-on-olympics-357894">&nbsp;Japan to undertake mass coronavirus vaccination with eye on Olympics</a>

Suicides among men actually fell slightly from 2019, but over 14 per cent more suicides were recorded among women.

While determining the causes of rising suicides is complicated, Ueda said likely factors included increasing unemployment for women and extra burdens at home, in a country where household responsibilities are often unevenly shared in families.

The pandemic disproportionately hit industries that employ many women, often on temporary contracts, including hospitality and hotels.

A survey released by public broadcaster NHK in December found 26 per cent of female workers reported employment problems including layoffs since April, compared with 19 per cent of men.

"The coronavirus has highlighted Japan's gender gap," added Yayo Okano, a professor of feminism at Doshisha University in Kyoto.

In a separate NHK poll, 28 per cent of women reported spending more time on housework during the pandemic, compared with 19 per cent of men, with at-home supervision of children -- after schools closed -- falling mostly to mothers.

"Household burdens on women have long been disproportionately heavy in Japan and their burdens have increased because of coronavirus," Okano told AFP.

'They don't know what to do'

Rising suicides among children have also alarmed experts: more than 300 children in elementary, junior high and high school died by suicide in the eight months to November, up nearly 30 per cent from the same month a year earlier. December figures were not yet available.

"Students are feeling anxiety about their future," said Akiko Mura, a counsellor at the Tokyo Suicide Prevention Centre.

"They don't know what to do. They used to be able to release their stress by talking to their friends, but now they can't even go to karaoke."

Experts fear a series of high-profile celebrity suicides in Japan last year may also have triggered vulnerable people to consider taking their lives.

The number of suicides in Japan peaked at around 34,000 in 2003, but efforts since then to tackle the problem -- including addressing deaths linked to overwork and introducing online counselling -- had helped bring the numbers down.

Munetaka Kaneko, a counsellor at suicide prevention NGO Sotto, said the government now needed to make suicide response a key plank of its virus policy, with "prevention measures fit for the pandemic era".

"For some, the risks of suicide are far graver than those posed by the pandemic."

The number of people taking their own lives in Japan rose for the first time in over a decade last year, as the pandemic reversed years of progress combatting a stubbornly high suicide rate.

The number of people taking their own lives in Japan rose for the first time in over a decade last year, as the pandemic reversed years of progress combatting a stubbornly high suicide rate. Japan's health and welfare ministry said Friday that 20,919 people died by suicide in 2020 according to preliminary data, up 3.7 per cent from the previous year. That compares with 3,460 deaths from coronavirus in the same period. It marks the first year-on-year rise in suicides in more than a decade, with women and children, in particular, taking their lives at higher rates. Japan has long had the highest suicide rate among the Group of Seven advanced countries -- though regionally South Korea registers higher figures. But the government has worked in recent years to better support people with mental health needs. Japan has seen a smaller coronavirus outbreak than some countries, avoiding the harsh lockdown measures put in place elsewhere, and a fall in suicides during the first half of 2020 raised hopes that the pandemic's impact might be limited. Also read| Tokyo Olympics cancelled? Japanese government issues clarification But the figures began to rise in July after the first state of emergency was lifted in May, pattern experts say tracks with data showing suicides often drop in the first phase of crises such as conflicts and natural disasters, before rising sharply. "For suicide in Japan, the rise was a major event and I think it was a big turning point," said Michiko Ueda, an associate professor of political science at Waseda University in Tokyo who studies suicide in Japan. "The coronavirus is definitely a major factor," she told AFP, warning "we cannot deny the possibility that figures will rise again this year". Virus 'highlighted gender gap' Mental health experts around the world have warned that suicides could rise during the pandemic, driven by diverse factors including economic hardship, stress and family abuse. In Japan, the rise is the first since 2009, in the wake of the global economic crisis, but it follows a different pattern from previous years. "The coronavirus pandemic forced people into unusual circumstances," a health ministry official told AFP. "In particular, problems experienced by women have been highlighted, which are thought to have led to suicides." Also read| Japan to undertake mass coronavirus vaccination with eye on Olympics Suicides among men actually fell slightly from 2019, but over 14 per cent more suicides were recorded among women. While determining the causes of rising suicides is complicated, Ueda said likely factors included increasing unemployment for women and extra burdens at home, in a country where household responsibilities are often unevenly shared in families. The pandemic disproportionately hit industries that employ many women, often on temporary contracts, including hospitality and hotels. A survey released by public broadcaster NHK in December found 26 per cent of female workers reported employment problems including layoffs since April, compared with 19 per cent of men. "The coronavirus has highlighted Japan's gender gap," added Yayo Okano, a professor of feminism at Doshisha University in Kyoto. In a separate NHK poll, 28 per cent of women reported spending more time on housework during the pandemic, compared with 19 per cent of men, with at-home supervision of children -- after schools closed -- falling mostly to mothers. "Household burdens on women have long been disproportionately heavy in Japan and their burdens have increased because of coronavirus," Okano told AFP. 'They don't know what to do' Rising suicides among children have also alarmed experts: more than 300 children in elementary, junior high and high school died by suicide in the eight months to November, up nearly 30 per cent from the same month a year earlier. December figures were not yet available. "Students are feeling anxiety about their future," said Akiko Mura, a counsellor at the Tokyo Suicide Prevention Centre. "They don't know what to do. They used to be able to release their stress by talking to their friends, but now they can't even go to karaoke." Experts fear a series of high-profile celebrity suicides in Japan last year may also have triggered vulnerable people to consider taking their lives. The number of suicides in Japan peaked at around 34,000 in 2003, but efforts since then to tackle the problem -- including addressing deaths linked to overwork and introducing online counselling -- had helped bring the numbers down. Munetaka Kaneko, a counsellor at suicide prevention NGO Sotto, said the government now needed to make suicide response a key plank of its virus policy, with "prevention measures fit for the pandemic era". "For some, the risks of suicide are far graver than those posed by the pandemic."

Pandemic raises Japan suicide rate after decade of decline

Suicide has a long history in Japan as a way to avoid shame or dishonour, and getting psychological help was stigmatised. But when suicides hit a peak of 34,427 in 2003, it alarmed policymakers and drew foreign attention, often a catalyst for change in Japan.

Helping, listening, caring: Japanese prefecture records dramatic decrease in suicides

suicide-in-japan

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Helping, listening, caring: Japanese prefecture records dramatic decrease in suicides