Japan goes on student suicide watch as school term starts

Sayoko is watching her 13-year-old son more closely than he probably realises as he settles into his first year of junior high school in Yokohama. He is keeping up with his classes and is fortunate to be popular because of his sporting prowess. But Sayoko, who did not want to give her full name, remembers having a hard time at the same age, so she is alert to any sign that her son might be unhappy. “I was not good at sport and did not have a large circle of friends and, of course, there were always the ‘cool girls’ of the class who could be unkind,” she said. “It was not too bad for me and I came through it in the end, but no parent wants their son or daughter to be so desperate that the only choice they have is to kill themselves.” A tragedy close to home has made that fear even more palpable. The teenage son of one of her husband’s colleagues ended his own life about four years ago. Since then, Sayoko has gone out of her way to avoid the man. “I don’t know what I would say to him,” she said. “Perhaps I am wrong not to try to be normal around him, but I fear anything I say will be the wrong thing.” After a record number of children took their own lives in Japan last year, parents and teachers have once again been urged to look out for warning signs as the school year starts. This period has become associated with a heightened risk of student suicide. The Children and Families Agency has designated August 20 to September 9 as a time for “intensive efforts” to identify those at risk and strengthen suicide prevention measures. As part of the campaign, the government agency has released a video called “The video to watch when you don’t want the summer holidays to end”, telling young viewers that they do not have to struggle alone and can seek free, anonymous support by phone or online chat. Difficult time “For a lot of young people, this is one of the most difficult times of the year,” said Fujiko Yamada, founder of the Child Maltreatment Centre in Kanagawa prefecture. “They have just had a really long summer vacation when they have not had to study, they have been able to be lazy and play with their friends and go on holiday with their families, and all of a sudden they have to go back to school,” she said. “For lots of them, school is a place of rules, where they have to study and they are under pressure to get good grades. They have to get up early and many of them go to cram school in the evenings. Even wearing a school uniform again can be stressful.” On top of school pressures, teenagers might also have issues in their personal lives such as disagreements with parents or friends, or family financial worries, Yamada said. “I speak with children who are not going to school but know they should be. These are those who just can’t bring themselves to go for whatever reason,” she said. “Too often, I see an attitude of ‘all or nothing’ in them, and that means that if they can’t go to school, they do not know what they should do, and killing themselves looks like the only choice they have.” A total of 538 students killed themselves last year – a record high since the government started tracking figures in 1980. The previous record of 529 was set in 2024, according to the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare, significantly higher than the 289 deaths recorded in 1980. The number of male students who died by suicide decreased by 20 from the previous year while the number of female students increased by 36. Suicides were up 24 per cent among junior high school girls. September had the highest incidents of student suicides last year, at 59. The ministry’s annual report identified “school problems” – specifically a fear of academic failure, arguments with other students, worries about their future careers and bullying – as the largest cause for a pupil taking his or her own life. Other reasons include health concerns and problems at home. Japan’s overall suicide rate has actually been steadily declining. A total of 19,097 deaths were recorded in 2025, down 1,223 from the previous year – marking the first time the total had dropped below the 20,000 mark since records began in 1978. Signs of stress Research suggests that child suicide rates in other countries follow a similar pattern, spiking in late August and early September as young people go back to school, as well as at the start of the academic year in the spring. A US study published in the April 2024 edition of the Journal of Human Resources showed that, as in Japan, academic stress, economic instability and ongoing post-pandemic disruptions were contributing factors, along with heavy social media use, cyberbullying, screen addiction and deteriorating mental health. “We need parents, in particular, to notice changes in their children, to look for signs of a young person who is struggling,” said Vickie Skorji, senior adviser to the Tokyo-based TELL Lifeline. “In many cases, these are young people who have had mental health issues before but have had time off over the summer and are now going back to school,” she said. “That has a tendency to exacerbate problems and children who were already struggling can be pushed over the edge.” Japan ranked first out of 43 nations for children’s physical health in a Unicef study released last year, but only 32nd on that same list for mental well-being. Anxiety and depression are the most common signs of mental health conditions among children, according to Skorji. “We are telling parents to look out for changes in their children’s behaviour, withdrawing from friends and family and not being interested in the things that they once enjoyed,” she said. “Sleep is another important indicator. Changes in sleep patterns are often signs, along with not eating and general irritability.” This year, TELL is running the Step Up Challenge, a nationwide campaign to raise awareness of the issues facing young people and provide them with hope and support. “Every parent needs to know what that could look like in their children and when the signs are there, getting support is vital. They cannot afford to think it’s just a young person acting like a young person,” Skorji said. “Parents need to talk to their kids and yes, sometimes that can be hard, but not talking to them can be fatal.” If you have suicidal thoughts or know someone who is experiencing them, help is available. In Hong Kong, you can dial 18111 for the government-run Mental Health Support Hotline. You can also call 2896 0000 for The Samaritans or 2382 0000 for Suicide Prevention Services. In the US, call or text 988 or chat at 988lifeline.org for the 988 Suicide & Crisis Lifeline. For a list of other nations’ helplines, see this page.

Japan goes on student suicide watch as school term starts

.css-1c6uqr6{color:inherit;font-weight:inherit;font-size:inherit;font-family:inherit;line-height:inherit;overflow-wrap:break-word;}Government data shows student suicide spikes in September, when children return to school after a long summer break

Government data shows student suicide spikes in September, when children return to school after a long summer break