Tokyo -
The high suicide rate among young Japanese has made it the leading cause of death for the age group for the seventh straight year, the government said on Tuesday.
Among Japanese people aged 15 to 39, suicide is still the biggest single killer, and was responsible for more than 50 percent of deaths among men in their 20s, a government white paper said.
“We will examine the reasons behind it and take appropriate action,” Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga told a news conference.
The government said it needs to step up measures to deal with bullying and online suicide announcements.
The total number of suicides declined 2.1 percent to 27 283 for the fourth consecutive year of fall, the survey showed, making an average of some 75 suicides per day.
“The number of suicides has fallen because of the ongoing economic recovery,” Suga said. - Sapa-dpa