Reuters, Tokyo :
Suicides in Japan in 2019 fell to their lowest number in more than 40 years, police said on Friday, marking the 10th straight year of declines.
Though suicide has a long history in Japan as a way of avoiding shame or dishonor, and its suicide rate still tops the Group of Seven nations, a national effort has brought Japanese suicides down by about 40 percent in roughly 15 years.
The number of suicides in 2019 fell by 881 people, bringing the overall number under 20,000 for the first time since record-keeping began in 1978, according to preliminary police data published Friday.
Suicides in Japan in 2019 fell to their lowest number in more than 40 years, police said on Friday, marking the 10th straight year of declines.
Though suicide has a long history in Japan as a way of avoiding shame or dishonor, and its suicide rate still tops the Group of Seven nations, a national effort has brought Japanese suicides down by about 40 percent in roughly 15 years.
The number of suicides in 2019 fell by 881 people, bringing the overall number under 20,000 for the first time since record-keeping began in 1978, according to preliminary police data published Friday.
