Tokyo: suicide, the first cause of death among 15 to 39 year-olds

It represents 17.8 percent of the deaths. The figure emerges from the government's annual report. Deaths for accidents and cancer accounted for 6.9 and 5.2 per cent. This is not the case in other countries where accidents in this age range exceed suicides. The number of suicides under the age of 20 has never fallen since 1998. The commitment of the Catholic Church.

Tokyo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Suicide is the leading cause of death in Japan for people between the ages of 15 and 39. The annual report of the Government Observatory on this issue, submitted to the Council of Ministers on May 30, found that suicide overtakes accidents and cancer among the major causes of death in the rankings. This is not so in other countries, where in this age group deaths caused by accidents exceed suicides. A sign that confirms the serious social problems of Japan compared to the rest of the world.

In general last year suicides were 21,897, down 8.9 percent from the previous year for the seventh consecutive year. The figure has dropped below 22,000 for the first time in the last 22 years. However, the fact that 17.8 percent of deaths are by suicide in the ages 15 to 34 is striking, while deaths by accidents and cancer represent respectively 6.9 percent and 5.2 percent . Among children under 20 years of age, the suicide rate fluctuates around the same level since 1998 and has never diminished since then.

The Japanese Catholic Church has long engaged in this front. Both messages of the Japanese Catholic bishops: In 2001, "Reverence for Life" and its revised version issued in January 2017, addressed the theme of loneliness leading to suicide.

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