Japan's youth suicides remain high: Governemnt report

Tokyo, Oct 29 : The number of suicides among elementary, junior high, and high school students in Japan remained alarmingly high in 2023, a government report showed on Tuesday.

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

The data breakdown shows 347 high school students, 153 junior high students, and 13 elementary students died by suicide, Xinhua news agency reported.

The paper said common causes for elementary students' suicides include "discipline and reprimands" from family. Junior high and high school boys cited school-related issues such as "academic struggles" and "career concerns" as grades progressed. Girls in these age groups were more likely to cite "conflicts with friends" and other relationship issues.

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 working individuals also saw an increase, the data showed.