https://www.insider.com/japan-minister-of-loneliness-suicides-rise-pandemic-2021-2

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Japan has appointed a 'Minister of Loneliness' after seeing suicide
rates in the country increase for the first time in 11 years

Katie Warren
2021-02-22T12:39:52Z
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japan tokyo
In 2020, suicides in Japan rose for the first time in 11 years. 
CHARLY TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Image

  * Japan appointed a "Minister of Loneliness" this month to tackle
    the country's rising suicide rates.
  * In 2020, suicide rates in Japan rose for the first time in 11
    years, particularly among women.
  * More people died from suicide in Japan in October than the total
    number of COVID-19 deaths up to that point in 2020.
  * Visit Insider's homepage for more stories.

Japan has appointed a "Minister of Loneliness" to take try and reduce
loneliness and social isolation among its residents as the country
deals with rising suicide rates, Tomohiro Osaki reported for the
Japan Times.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga appointed Tetsushi Sakamoto, who is
already a minister in charge of dealing with Japan's declining
birthrate and promoting regional revitalization, to oversee
government policies to deal with loneliness and isolation, earlier
this month. Prime Minister Suga chose Sakamoto as his Minister for
economic revitalization when he was elected in September 2020.

"Women are suffering from isolation more (than men are), and the
number of suicides is on a rising trend," Suga told Sakamoto on a
February 12 news conference announcing the new role, according to the
Japan Times. "I hope you will identify problems and promote policy
measures comprehensively."

Tetsushi Sakamoto [60332c40be]
Tetsushi Sakamoto is Japan's new loneliness minister. REUTERS/Kim
Kyung-Hoon

Loneliness has long been an issue in Japan, often discussed
alongside "hikikomori," or people who live in extreme social
isolation. People have worked to create far-ranging solutions to this
issue: Engineers in Japan previously designed a robot to hold
someone's hand when they're lonely and one man charges people to "do
nothing" except keep them company.

A rise in suicides during the pandemic

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020, with people more socially
isolated than ever, Japan saw a rise in suicides for the first time
in 11 years.

In October, more people died from suicide than had died from COVID-19
in Japan in all of 2020. There were 2,153 suicide deaths that month
and 1,765 total virus deaths up to the end of October 2020, per the
Japanese National Police Agency. (After a surge in new cases starting
in December, Japan has now recorded 7,506 total coronavirus deaths as
of February 22.) Studies show that loneliness has been linked to a
higher risk of health issues like heart disease, dementia, and eating
disorders.

Women in Japan, in particular, have contributed to the uptick in
suicides. In October, 879 women died by suicide in Japan -- a 70%
increase compared to the same month in 2019. 

More and more single women live alone in Japan, but many of them
don't have stable employment, Michiko Ueda, a Japanese professor who
studies suicide in Japan, told the BBC last week.

japan woman pandemic [60332b57be]
A woman crosses the street in Tokyo on January 28, 2021. CHARLY
TRIBALLEAU/AFP via Getty Images

"A lot of women are not married anymore," Ueda said. "They have to
support their own lives and they don't have permanent jobs. So, when
something happens, of course, they are hit very, very hard."

Japan's new loneliness minister said that he plans to hold an
emergency forum in late February to hear concerns from people dealing
with loneliness and isolation.

"I hope to carry out activities to prevent social loneliness and
isolation and to protect ties between people," Sakamoto said at the
February 12 news conference.

The United Kingdom was the first country to appoint a loneliness
minister in 2018, after a 2017 report found that more than nine
million people in the UK said they often or always felt lonely. But
the role seems to not be a particularly desirable one, as the UK has
gone through three loneliness ministers in three years. Australia has
considered creating a similar position.

If you or someone you know is struggling with depression or has had
thoughts of harming themselves or taking their own life, get help.
The National Suicide Prevention Lifeline (1-800-273-8255) provides 24
/7, free, confidential support for people in distress, as well as
best practices for professionals and resources to aid in prevention
and crisis situations.

SEE ALSO: Suicide among women surges as more people in Japan kill
themselves in a single month than the total number lost to COVID-19
in 2020

SEE ALSO: Why social isolation feels more lonely than 'normal' alone
time

NOW WATCH:

More: Japan Loneliness Suicide

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