SUNDAY, JULY 27, 2003
Japanese suicides skyrocketing over dull economy
AP
TOKYO: The number of suicides surged in Japan last year, while cases linked to economic hardship hit an all-time high, underscoring the nation's continuing struggle against stagnant growth and job losses.
A total of 32,143 people killed themselves in 2002, up 1,101 or 3.5 percent, from a year earlier, the National Police Agency said in an annual report released Friday.
Suicides caused by distress over economic difficulties rose 16 per cent to 7,940, said police, citing letters left by the deceased.
Many of the cases were linked to job losses, bankruptcies and mounting debts. The tally was the highest since the police began keeping track in 1978. The previous high was set last year.
The overall total, which topped 30,000 for the fifth straight year, was the third-largest number of suicides on record. Suicides peaked at 33,048 in 1999.
Health problems led 14,815 people to kill themselves.
Those aged 60 or older comprised 34.6 per cent of cases, or 11,119, the largest share of suicides last year, followed by those in their 50s at 8,462 and 40s at 4,813.
Suicides among men in their 50s showed the highest on-year increase at 8.5 per cent to 6,660.
Japan has one of the world's highest suicide rates. With a population only half that of the United States, Japan still has more suicides per year. In 2000, 29,350 Americans took their own lives, according to the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's most recent figures.
Japan's decade-long economic slump has forced major companies to slash jobs and has sent the nation's unemployment rate to a near record high of 5.4 per cent.
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