Chart of the Week



Increase in Teenage Suicide

7/1 2024

Author: Yuki Tsuji

Japan's suicide rate (suicide deaths per 100,000 population) is high, ranking fourth among OECD countries. The suicide rate among young people is also high in Japan. As Fig.1 shows, suicide rate of teens and that of 20s are the highest among G7 countries. White Paper on Suicide Prevention 2023 points out that the suicide is the leading cause of death among teens and 20s in Japan. Outside of the G7 countries, South Korea's youth suicide rate is at a similar level to Japan.

Fig. 1: Suicide rates of teens and 20s among G7 countries and South Korea
Source: White Paper on Suicide Prevention, 2023, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare


Japanese governments have taken suicide prevention measures since the 2000s. While the number and rate of suicides in Japan as a whole gradually declined during the 2010s, they have increased slightly since 2020, when the Covid-19 spread. Of particular concern is the increasing trend of suicide among children and youth under the age of 19 (Fig. 2).

Fig. 2: Suicide rates of teens and 20s among G7 countries and South Korea
Source: Suicide Statistics, each year, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare


Fig. 3 indicates the most frequently reported motives for suicide among under 19 years old. This data is based on police records of up to four motives per case, which are inferred through suicide notes and other documents as well as interviews with family members.

The motives for individual suicides are complex, and the factors behind the increase must be carefully analyzed. From a macro perspective, however, both Japan and South Korea belong to the ‘familialistic’ welfare regime in comparative welfare state studies, with a high degree of dependence on the family for livelihood security. This has resulted in a declining birthrate, which may also be accelerating the difficulty of lives of children and teenagers.

Fig. 3: Most frequently reported motives for suicides among under 19 years old in 2023
Source: Suicide Statistics, 2023 preliminary figures, Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare
* mental disorder other than depression, schizophrenia, alcoholism, drug abuse, and eating disorder


In Japan, the Children and Families Agency (CFA) was established in January 2023 as an external bureau of the Cabinet Office. Under the slogan "Kodomo-Mannaka,", i.e., put children at the center, the CFA's mission is to break through sectionalism in government and to improve the welfare and health of children and families with children, to promote the growth of children, and to protect the rights and interests of children. The CFA has established the Suicide Prevention Office and compiled an emergency plan to strengthen measures against child suicide, including analyzing the causes of suicide, strengthening the counseling system, learning and training how to give and receive SOS, and expanding local support for children who have attempted suicide or self-harmed, children who have stopped attending school, and children who have lost family members. The effects of these measures must be closely monitored.