Suicides in Japan Rise 2.7% to 21,584 in 2022

TOKYO (Jiji Press) — The number of people who killed themselves in Japan in 2022 increased by 577, or 2.7%, from the previous year to 21,584, marking the first rise in two years, preliminary government data showed Friday.

Of the total, men accounted for 14,543, up by 604, and women made up 7,041, down by 27.

The suicide rate, or the number of suicides per population of 100,000, rose by 0.5 to 17.2.

By age group, people in their 50s accounted for the largest share of suicides in the first 11 months of 2022, at 3,748, up by 413 from a year before.

The number of suicides among students fell by 44 to 927. Students in elementary, junior high and high schools accounted for 441, down by three.