Japan Faces Suicide "Epidemic"

Japan is apparently facing a rising wave of suicides, and is apparently the "Suicide-Capital" of the developed world. A dubious distinction, to be sure.

Japanese professionals in their thirties are killing themselves at unprecedented rates, as the nation struggles with a runaway suicide epidemic.

Newly published figures show that 30,093 people took their own lives in 2007 — a 2.9 per cent increase in a year — leaving the country as the most suicide-prone anywhere in the developed world and rendering government efforts to combat the problem a failure.

Suicide rates remained highest among men — at 71 per cent of the total — and very high among Japan’s rising population of over-60s. Geographically, most suicides took place in the prefecture of Yamanashi, where the forested foothills of Mount Fuji continue to attract the suicidal from around Japan.

I am saddened to learn of this trend, but, at least from my American perspective, am not that surprised. Years ago, I used to travel to Japan fairly regularly on business. Japan is certainly a fascinating and interesting place from both a historical, cultural and culinary (yum!) perspective. But the societal rules (at least in the business world) are quite rigid and hierarchical, and the business world is to a very large extent a man's world (certainly as compared to the American business environment). In fact, I would characterize it as totally male-dominated. Perhaps that's changed over the years, but I would be surprised if it has to any substantial degree. (Interestingly, I found China's business culture to be much more woman-friendly than Japan's.)

Japan faces a looming demographic crisis in the coming years due to its low birth rates and aging population. Birth rates are far below replacement rates. The Japanese are a fairly homogeneous society, and I suspect the cultural change needed to extricate themselves from their demographic timebomb will require wrenching change in societal rules and norms that have existed for centuries.