TOKYO, Jan 20 (Xinhua) - Japan's suicide rate increased from the previous year in 2022 owing to the increased rate among males for the first time in 13 years, the government said in a report on Friday.

According to the health ministry, there were a total of 21,584 suicides in 2022, 577 more than the previous year, with suicides by men comprising 14,543 of the annual total of deaths, which was 604 more than the previous year.

The preliminary data also showed that women committing suicide in the previous year totaled 7,041, which was down by 27 than the previous year, the figure, however, remained markedly above levels seen before the COVID-19 pandemic.

The number of suicides in Japan had been steadily decreasing for 10 consecutive years through 2019, the ministry's data showed, but reversed course and remained comparatively high since the beginning of the global pandemic in 2020.

The ministry also said that suicides among school-age children edged down in 2022 by three to total 441 cases. ...continue reading

Source: ANNnewsCH