Child Suicide: Consider in Depth How to Create Safe Spaces for Children

Editorial

15:42 JST, September 12, 2025

Cases of children committing suicide are occurring without end. There are various possible contributing factors, including bullying at school, suffering academic setbacks and trouble at home.

Amidst the low birth rate, it is deeply regrettable that young lives are being lost in such a manner.

In the period after summer vacation, cases of suicide among children are particularly high. The government’s Suicide Prevention Week began on Sept. 10. It is hoped that this opportunity will be used by society as a whole to work to prevent suicides with a sense of urgency.

Suicides among elementary, junior high and high school students reached a record high of 529 in 2024. While the total number of suicides across all age groups has been decreasing, the number among children has remained at a high level, exceeding 500 a year since 2022.

The Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology Ministry intends to create new guidelines for teachers aimed at preventing suicides among children. The guidelines will help teachers recognize risks by providing examples of warning signs. They will also outline procedures for schools to seek cooperation from medical institutions to strengthen collaboration among relevant entities.

Suicides are often linked to mental health issues such as depression and adjustment disorders. In some respects, it may be difficult for teachers, who lack such specialized knowledge, to handle these situations, alone. The guidelines must be made practical for those on the front line by using the opinions of experts and persons concerned as a reference.

According to the Japan Suicide Countermeasures Promotion Center, which analyzes suicides among children, the number of cases in which children aged 6 to 18 were transported by ambulance due to intentional self-harm exceeded 3,400 in 2022. This represents an 80% increase compared to five years ago.

Among these cases, there may have also been some in which the child did not intend to commit suicide, but the high figure is undeniably a serious issue.

In recent years, the influence of social media has especially become a concern.

Many children suffer emotional harm from “cyberbullying” — in which they are excluded from the group or slandered on social media. A major factor is believed to be that children learn via social media suicide methods, such as overdosing on over-the-counter drugs, which has easily caused them to commit suicide.

There are not always obvious warning signs in the lead up to suicides.

It is vital to increase places where children can stay and find emotional support outside of home and school in local communities to allow them to express their true feelings on a regular basis. In such places, encountering other people’s perspectives and books, among other factors, may help them break out of their shells, broaden their horizons and ease their pain.

Online sites can also be helpful in some cases. They are said to serve as “safe havens” where users can participate anonymously, seek advice about their worries and interact with peers.

The hope is that a society always supportive of children will be built by considering how to create safe spaces for them.

(From The Yomiuri Shimbun, Sept. 12, 2025)