Suicide rate in Japan 2013-2022
What are the reasons behind Japan’s high suicide rates?
Historically, Japan’s high suicide rates were closely linked to the economic situation of individuals. While the majority of suicides in Japan stemmed from health reasons, existential worries and problems directly related to work accounted for over 7.6 thousand self-inflicted deaths in the past year.The most profound issue faced by employees in Japan leading to self-harm in the past decade has been exhaustion. An increasing pressure of retaining jobs by putting in more hours of overtime, while taking fewer holidays and sick days were seen as the main motivators behind the rising suicide numbers among office workers and employees. Occupational sudden mortality, known as karoshi ("death by overwork") is a well-known phenomenon in Japanese society. Besides physical pressure, mental stress from the workplace can cause karoshi. Suicide due to occupational stress or overwork is called karojisatsu ("overwork suicide") in Japan.