One of the most discussed topics involving Japan is its suicide rate. This raises questions such as: Why do Japanese people commit suicide? Is the suicide rate in Japan really that high? How many people commit suicide in Japan each year? What is the global ranking? Is Japan to blame? We will answer these and other questions in this article.
I am personally tired of always hearing someone use Japan’s suicide rate to belittle it in some way. In people’s minds, Japan is the country where people commit suicide the most, even though it is in 18th place in the global ranking. And fortunately, each year the suicide rate in Japan has been decreasing.
I will separate this article by questions and topics; to facilitate navigation, we will leave an index below:
Table of Contents
Japan is not the country with the highest number of suicides
I have made it clear that each year Japan loses positions in the suicide ranking, and at the time I wrote this article, it is in 18th place. Some countries like South Korea and North Korea are among the top 5. Our neighbor Guyana has a huge rate, becoming the first in the suicide ranking by proportion.
Famous European countries known for being peaceful, such as Poland, Hungary, and Belgium, have a higher suicide rate than Japan. Other countries with a higher suicide rate than Japan include Russia, Ukraine, South Korea, Angola, Mongolia, and the first place goes to Sri Lanka.
According to different research and rankings, in 2017, Japan’s suicide rate was about 17-19 per 100,000 inhabitants (about 60 per day). It is a quite low number compared to the 35 per 100,000 inhabitants of Sri Lanka. Still, Japan is always cited as an example; why?
Why did Japan become famous for suicides?
There are 17 countries with a higher suicide rate than Japan, but the Japanese are still used as an example due to the fact that Japan is a first-world country and one of the largest world powers. Japan is also very popular in Brazil, unlike other countries that appear in the suicide ranking.
Another main reason is that the total number of suicides in Japan is indeed large, reaching 21,000 people per year (2017). In rankings where the total number of suicides is used, without proportion, Japan usually ranks among the top 10, as its population is over 127 million people.
Ten years ago (2009), the suicide rate in Japan was also much higher, exceeding 30,000 per year or 32 people per 100,000 inhabitants. At that time, Japan dominated among the top 5 in the total suicide ranking and even appeared in the rankings of suicides per 100,000 inhabitants.
There are also various cultural aspects that helped create this stereotype of Japanese suicide in the West. It is incredible how Japan has managed to reduce its suicide rate in the last 10 years, even with the growing global epidemic of depression and emotional problems, not to mention the world’s trend, which is to worsen.
Japan is very safe, so suicide becomes one of the biggest causes of death among Japanese people after diseases. It is easier for someone to commit suicide than to die in an accident or, even less, to be killed by someone (something 10,000 times more difficult to happen).
The Japanese culture of suicide
For many in the West, taking one’s life is a sin; atheists believe that death is the end of everything, and even the Bible says that the dead are not conscious of absolutely anything. And the Japanese? What do they think about death? The Japanese believe in reincarnation; death is considered a passage to another existence, due to the Buddhist influence.
I do not believe that reincarnation is a good reason not to fear suicide, especially because those who resort to this act want to completely escape life, to put an end to it. Not to mention that many Japanese, despite following Buddhist and Shinto traditions, appear to follow no religion or are atheists.
For the family, relatives, and involved people, the death of a loved one is a great sadness. Probably the Japanese who thinks of committing this selfish act believes they are no longer being a burden to others and solving all their problems this way. It is really very difficult to understand the Japanese mindset.
The culture of suicide in Japan is something very old and was considered by samurai as an act of honor, and it even received the name seppuku or harakiri (where one cuts the belly). Even recently, during World War II, kamikaze [神風] would kill themselves in battle, with pride, honor, and without any remorse.
We notice that over the years, cultural influence and events contribute to a suicidal country. Japan does not have a significant influence from Christianity, so there suicide is not considered a sin. In fact, some see suicide as a way to take responsibility for something.
Main causes of suicide in Japan
Probably World War II and the conditions the country faced near the year 2000 left the suicide rate very high. Even today in the United States, many commit suicide because of World War II, especially war veterans. Perhaps this explains the decrease in suicides in the last 10 years.
Another very concerning thing in Japan is the suicide rate among young people. Even children commit suicide in Japan, often due to bullying, social pressure, and lack of attention from parents and teachers. Among the main causes that lead a Japanese to commit suicide, we can list:
- Bullying and Cyberbullying;
- Social Isolation – Hikikomori;
- Financial pressure and unemployment;
- Entrance exams in High School;
- Having relationship problems;
- Overwork;
- The loss of a loved one;
- Depression;
Japanese people are a bit perfectionist and do not accept failures; even if they do not suffer pressure from others, they end up pressuring themselves.
Of course, many of these things are stereotypes; emotional problems and depression affect each person differently, but unfortunately, the mindset of the Japanese leads even the government to be confused and concerned about this situation.
Young people are the biggest victims of suicide
Suicide is responsible for the highest number of deaths among young people aged 20 to 40 years, and possibly some elderly people who end up dying alone at home. Understanding the main reason for suicide in Japan is complicated; we do not have the same mentality as the Japanese.
Unfortunately, young people end up being the most pressured to commit suicide in Japan. All this happens because of the bullying and cyberbullying that many different students face in Japanese schools.
Those who do not commit suicide face a worse scenario that also results in suicide called Hikikomori. About a million young people in Japan remain in their rooms isolated from society, unwilling to go to school or work.
Entrance exams are some of the most difficult events that Japanese people face in their lives. They need to take a test for admission to High School and another for University. Some need to study a lot and even take extra classes at a preparatory school.
In Japan, the return to classes in the second semester is marked by tragedies. More than 18,000 children under 18 committed suicide in Japan between 1972 and 2013. All because they did not want to return to school.
HOW TO FACE suicide in Japan?
Of course, despite being alarming, we should not generalize the suicide numbers in Japan. As is known, Brazil also has a high suicide rate very close to Japan, with a difference of 3 people per 100,000.
I think that before pointing out suicides in Japan with a tone of criticism towards the country, it is better to remove the beam from one’s own eye. Suicides in Japan are still a problem, but we see them decreasing each passing year. A surprising scenario in a world that tends to worsen.
It is indeed possible to further reduce this suicide rate in Japan with some changes in society. The Japanese need to stop demanding so much from themselves or overexerting themselves in futile things. What do you think about this subject? Let’s finish here, leaving other related articles below:
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