Japan Has New Minister Of Loneliness To Deal With Suicide Rates

In a bid to tackle the country’s rising suicide rate, Japan has had a new “Minister of Loneliness.” The role of the Minister is to reduce social isolation and loneliness among the residents of the country.

Last year, for the first time in 11 years, suicide rates in Japan increased with the numbers pointing at women as particularly vulnerable.

Facts suggest that in October 2020, the number of people who died by suicide was higher than the number of COVID-19 deaths.

According to the Japan Times, the National Police Agency’s preliminary figures showed that 20,919 passed away by suicide in 2020, compared to 20,169 people in 2019, marking the first YOY increase in 11 years.

The Minister of Loneliness was appointed by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga to the Cabinet at the beginning of February.

However, Japan isn’t the first country to do so. In fact, the first country to come up with a similar role is the United Kingdom.

In Japan, loneliness has always been identified as a persistent issue. It is often discussed along with “hikikomori” or people living in extreme social isolation.

In a news conference to announce the new role, the Prime Minister said that women were suffering more than men and the number of suicides in the country was on a rise. He hoped that the new Minister could be able to identify problems as well as promoting policy measures widely.

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