The Number Of Women Suicide In Japan Again Increases: Reaching 7,000 Cases, This Is The Dominating Reason

Japanese woman illustration. (Wikimedia Commons/Masahiro Hayata)

JAKARTA - The number of women committing suicide in Japan rose for the second year in a row in 2021, to a total of 7,068, likely due to the lingering impact of the coronavirus pandemic, government data showed Tuesday.

With fewer male suicides than last year, the country's overall number of suicides fell slightly by 74 to 21,007.

However, the number of suicides is still 838 higher than in 2019, before the COVID-19 outbreak spread.

"The effects of the coronavirus pandemic appear to be manifesting in various ways," said a health ministry official working on measures to prevent suicide, reported Kyodo News March 15.

The number of suicides among elementary, junior high and high school students fell by 26 to 473, after hitting a record 499 in 2020. However, the official said "still at high levels that need to be monitored carefully."

Furthermore, the number of suicides among women increased by 42 in 2021, while that among men fell by 116 to 13,939, declining for the 12th year in a row.

As for the reasons behind suicide among women, health problems were the most common, accounting for 4,375 cases, down 144 from 2020, followed by family problems such as marital discord and pessimism about the family's future, accounting for 1,357, up 65.

Those mentioning problems related to economic and life problems increased by 29 to 454, with 185 women committing suicide because of difficulties making a living, the data showed.

Meanwhile, among students, 11 elementary, 148 junior high and 314 high school students committed suicide in 2021, citing reasons such as mental illness including depression, poor academic performance and discord in relationships with their parents.

For information, the data was collected by the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare based on suicide statistics released by the National Police Agency.