TOKYO: Japan saw a record number of suicides among school pupils in 2024, health ministry data showed on Wednesday (Jan 29).
The latest data among those in elementary through high school edged up to 527 from 513 cases in 2023, the ministry said.
The total number of people of all ages dying by suicide fell 7.2 per cent to 20,268, sharply lower from the record high of 34,427 cases in 2003.
The number of people aged younger than 20, including those at school, also fell to 800 in 2024 from 810 in 2023, the latest data showed.
“We regard this very seriously,” Keiichiro Tachibana, deputy chief cabinet secretary, told a regular press briefing.
“We will continue do our utmost to take measures to protect children’s lives and to realise a society where no one is pressed into taking their own life.”
The health ministry was expected to issue its analysis of the data in March after more figures become available.
