Japan to establish suicide-attempt database

Apr 19, 2022 | News On Japan

Apr 19, 2022 (postguam.com) - Japan's health ministry will establish a registry detailing suicide attempts in a bid to paint a clearer picture of the issue and provide greater support to people who have tried to take their own lives.

From this fiscal year, the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry will collect data on people who attempted to commit suicide and were taken to an emergency medical care center. Staffers at these facilities will ask details such as the person's gender, age and how they attempted to end their life. This information will be recorded in a manner that does not reveal the person's identity.

Suicide attempt survivors are said to have a high risk of trying again to kill themselves, so this registry will form the foundation for strengthened prevention measures. The ministry aims to eventually have all emergency medical care centers across Japan involved in the new initiative.

Research into possible issues that could arise when the registry is launched has been conducted at about 10 locations across Japan since September. The content of the questions has been carefully examined, and will check whether a suicide attempt survivor had used welfare services. Other questions include "Which staff member asked, and when, about the person's desire to die?" and "Was the person's case passed on to other entities such as a mental health and welfare center or child consultation center?"

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