The Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry is seen in this file photo taken in Tokyo's Chiyoda Ward on July 26, 2018. (Mainichi/Naoaki Hasegawa)
TOKYO -- The number of suicides among elementary, junior high and senior high school students in Japan in the 2020 school year increased by 98 from the previous academic year to 415, the highest ever recorded, according to a survey on students' problematic behavior and refusal to attend classes by the education ministry.
A Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology representative said, "As in the previous school year, the reason for many of the suicides is believed to lie within the household. This is probably a result of adults directing their stress caused by the coronavirus pandemic onto kids."
The number of suicides stood at seven among elementary school children, up three from the previous academic year, 103 among junior high school students, up 12 from fiscal 2019, and 305 among senior high school students, up 83 from the 2019 school year. The increase in suicides among high school students is especially high.
To a question allowing multiple answers about the causes of suicides found by school investigations, family discord was the most common reason, cited in 53 cases, followed by mental illness in 46 instances, issues over career paths in 44, and rebukes from parents and others in 33. However, "unknown causes" accounted for 218 of the 415 cases, highlighting the difficulty in identifying the cause.
Regarding the number of suicides among children and students, it has long been pointed out that statistical data composed by the education ministry and the National Policy Agency is inconsistent. This time, the agency reported 507 such cases -- 92 more than the figure announced by the education ministry.
According to the ministry, some families are reluctant to reveal their child's suicide. The representative explained, "It is difficult for a school, which doesn't have investigative authority, to keep track of all cases."
(Japanese original by Akira Okubo, Tokyo City 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:
https://www.facebook.com/telljapan/
Font Size S M L Print Timeline 0