Record of suicides in Japan among minors

TokyoThe number of suicides among primary, junior high, and high school students in Japan reached 538 cases in 2025, the highest figure since 1980, when these statistics first began to be compiled. This record contrasts with the trend in the country as a whole, where deaths by suicide fell to 19,188, the lowest record in the series and the first time the count has remained below 20,000.

The improvement in the general figures, however, has not extended to all age groups. According to the White Paper on Suicide Prevention, recently published by the Japanese government, the mortality rate for this cause maintains an upward trend among those under 20 years of age, both men and women, and among women in their twenties. The report once again places this primary social tragedy among the country's main public health challenges for the second consecutive year.

School problems, family difficulties, and health disorders are among the factors associated with these deaths. The report notes that the weight of each factor varies according to age and sex. Among primary school students, family problems are more prevalent, while health-related issues gain weight as age increases. For high school boys, academic difficulties and worries about the future also stand out.

The distribution by educational level shows that the problem is concentrated mainly in junior high and high school. In 2025, 172 junior high school students and 356 high school students died by suicide, while ten cases were recorded among primary school students. The figures for junior high and high school reached historical highs, with a particularly high incidence among girls.

Among women in their twenties, the report also detects an increase in cases linked to mental health problems, especially depression, and family difficulties. This development indicates that the worrying trends are not limited to school age but extend to other young groups, even if the associated factors are not the same.

The document also expands the analysis to include all students, including university students and pupils from other educational institutions. In this group, deaths by suicide reached 1,082, five more than the previous year, which continues the increase for the second consecutive year. The government also warns that warning signs may go unnoticed and that children and adolescents may have difficulty expressing the distress they are suffering.

Reinforcement in prevention

After the approval of the report by the Council of Ministers, the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare, Kenichiro Ueno, announced that the government will strengthen prevention measures, especially those aimed at children, adolescents, and young people. The Japanese executive is committed to better coordinating the work of administrations and assistance services so that people going through risk situations can receive help. The priority is to improve the detection of cases and facilitate access to support resources.

The White Paper also reviews the prevention policies implemented since the late nineties, when the annual number of suicide deaths exceeded 30,000. Since then, the country has deployed measures in areas such as health, work, and social protection, which have contributed to reducing the general figures. Among the youngest, however, the means and initiatives proposed have not yielded the expected positive results.

Prevention, according to the report, requires acting beyond health services and also involving educational centers, social services, and local administrations. Part of the difficulty consists of identifying the distress before the situation worsens, especially when children and adolescents do not know how to express it or do not ask for help. The government wants to strengthen actions aimed at these groups, where the data continue an evolution different from the country's general trend.