Annual number of suicides in Japan falls by 251

Jan 22, 2022 | News On Japan

Jan 22, 2022 (Japan Times) - The number of people who killed themselves in Japan in 2021 came to 20,830, down 251, or 1.2%, from the previous year, the health ministry said in a preliminary report based on police data Friday.

In 2020, when the COVID-19 pandemic began, the number of suicides among working women grew sharply. But the figure fell slightly in 2021.

Meanwhile, the number of people who committed suicide due to economic struggles rose sharply, possibly a result of the prolonged pandemic that featured a string of state of emergency declarations by the government.

The suicide rate, measured by the number of suicides per population of 100,000, stood at 16.5, down 0.2 from the previous year.

“The figure returned to levels before the coronavirus pandemic,” a health ministry official said.

The number of men who committed suicide decreased by 240 to 13,815, down for the 12th straight year, and the number of women fell by 11 to 7,015.

Among suicide cases confirmed between January and November last year, those related to livelihood and economic problems marked the sharpest year-on-year increase, rising by 114 to 3,038. Of those, 990 killed themselves due to “living a hard life,” up 98.

Source: ANNnewsCH

Typhoons No. 28 and 29 Bring High Waves to Japan's Pacific Coast

Two typhoons moving across the Pacific southeast of Japan are expected to remain well away from the Japanese mainland, but powerful swells could bring rough seas to a wide stretch of the country's Pacific coastline throughout the three-day holiday weekend, according to forecasts updated at 3 a.m. on October 10.

Cyberattacks Spread Across Japan

A series of cyberattacks has disrupted business operations and exposed millions of customer records across Japan, with a ransomware attack on a cloud service provider affecting 495 companies and local governments nationwide, while convenience store operator Lawson has disclosed a separate breach involving more than 2.15 million personal information records.

Japan's First 360-Degree Projection Mapping Opens in Osaka

Japan's first 360-degree projection mapping show will open at the Osaka City Museum of Fine Arts on October 10, transforming the historic building into an immersive world of light, music, and seasonal imagery, with organizers hoping the attraction will also help stimulate the city's nighttime economy.

Tokyo University Professor Wins Nobel Prize in Chemistry

Tokyo University of Science professor emeritus Kenzo Soai has been awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Chemistry together with French chemist Henri B. Kagan for discoveries that transformed scientists' understanding of how chemical reactions can favor one of two mirror-image forms of a molecule.

US Military Halts All Okinawa Operations for 48 Hours

The US military suspended activities by all forces stationed in Okinawa for 48 hours from noon on October 7, an unusual measure following the arrest of a US Marine in connection with a robbery and murder case that has renewed scrutiny of crimes involving American service members.

MEDIA CHANNELS

MORE Society NEWS

Most Sightings of Fugitive Yoichi Hatta Reported in Kanto

Police in Oita Prefecture have revealed that the Kanto region accounts for the largest number of reported sightings of Yoichi Hatta, a fugitive wanted in connection with a fatal hit-and-run incident in Beppu in 2022, with authorities preparing to distribute new wanted posters nationwide from November as the search enters its fifth year.