Subject: [cwj 47] Japan Suicide Rate Clings Near Record High
From: Corporate Watch in Japanese <cwj@corpwatch.org>
Date: Fri, 30 Jun 2000 15:23:13 -0700
Seq: 47
Friday June 30, 2000 Japan Suicide Rate Clings Near Record High By Elaine Lies TOKYO (Reuters) - In November last year, an unemployed Japanese factory worker drove his car into the sea near Tokyo, taking his life as well as those of his wife and three young children. This incident was far from isolated. Statistics show that more than 30,000 Japanese killed themselves last year--the second highest figure on record, and a grim sign that social and economic turmoil still rocks a nation once known for stability. And while the greatest number of suicides were by men in their 40s and 50s--the ages most likely to be hit by corporate restructuring--the suicide rate for people in their late 30s rose to a postwar high. Analysts blamed a complex mix of factors, including Japan's flagging economy, a breakdown in social values, and the loss of family stability. In 1999, divorce hit a record high. ``There has just been too much violent social change,'' said Biten Yasumoto, a social psychology professor at Sanno University near Tokyo. ``This has given birth to a huge number of problems.'' Figures released by Japan's Health Ministry on Thursday showed 31,385 people killed themselves in 1999. While this is not a record--that was set in 1998, when 32,863 people committed suicide--it is high by international standards. The United States has roughly the same number of suicides a year but its population is twice the size of Japan's. Analysts said cultural differences were important. No religious prohibitions exist against suicide in Japan, and it is sometimes seen as a way of escaping shame or saving loved ones from embarrassment or financial loss. But the lion's share of the blame lies with Japan's struggling economy, only now showing signs of crawling out of its worst recession in decades. The number of suicides was highest among men in their 50s, rising to 7,873 in 1999 from 7,699 the year before. Men in their 40s were next, with 5,006 taking their lives. Men in those age groups have been hit the hardest by the wave of restructuring and layoffs that Japanese companies have been forced to undertake by difficult economic conditions. ``These people were hired in the expectation they would be with their companies for their entire working life,'' said social psychologist Takanori Akiyama. ``Now, no one feels safe.'' They were also most likely to be in management positions and thereby feel responsible if a company got into financial trouble. In April, a top executive handling a major department store's attempts to crawl out from under a mountain of debt hanged himself, apparently in despair over the company's financial woes. Managers are not the only ones feeling the pinch. Last Saturday, a 21-year-old student at one of Japan's most prestigious universities threw himself under a train in Tokyo, apparently distraught at being unable to find a job. One of the health ministry's most disturbing findings, however, was that suicide was the leading cause of death for people in their late 20s and 30s, although the fact that younger people die from illness more rarely than older age groups also needs to be considered. Some 3,267 people in their 20s, and 3,569 in their 30s, took their own lives in 1999. More sobering still, the suicide rate for people aged 35 to 39 hit a post-war high of 23 per 10,000. While economic factors such as corporate restructuring played a role here as well, this age group was more likely to suffer from a greater degree of social confusion. ``In the old days, there was one pattern for the future: study hard, go to a good university, then be hired by a good company,'' Yasumoto said. ``But this no longer guarantees anything, leaving people floundering as they try to choose a different path.'' FAIR USE NOTICE. This document contains copyrighted material whose use has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Corporate Watch in Japanese is making this article available in our efforts to advance understanding of ecological sustainability, human rights, economic democracy and social justice issues. We believe that this constitutes a 'fair use' of the copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. 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