Japan’s youth suicides remain high – Report

A government report on Tuesday showed that the number of suicides among elementary, junior high and high school students in Japan remained high in 2023.

According to the country’s 2024 Suicide Prevention White Paper, the number of elementary to high school students, who committed suicide in Japan, stood at 513 in 2023, against the record high of 514 in the previous year.

The data breakdown shows that 347 high school students, 153 junior high students, and 13 elementary students died by suicide in 2023.

The white paper stated that common causes of elementary students’ suicides included “discipline and reprimands” from family.

Junior high and high school boys cited school-related issues such as “academic struggles” and “career concerns”, according to the report.

Japan’s total number of suicides in 2023 reached 21,837, a decrease of 44 from the previous year.

The suicide rate, indicating deaths per 100,000 people, held steady at 17.6.

Since 2020, suicide rates have increased across most age groups in Japan.

The highest suicide rates were among the unemployed, although the number of suicides among working individuals also increased, the data showed.