Background of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare’s urgent alert to “news reports on suicide”.

There is a “possibility of triggering suicides among children, young people, and those with suicidal thoughts.”

On May 5, the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare issued this alert regarding media coverage of the suicide of a celebrity. It was a call for the media to “take a stand against the risk of sensationalized suicide reports” in their coverage of the actor’s death.

Says a MHLW carrier.

“ 2016 The ‘Comprehensive Suicide Prevention Council’ was reorganized and established by the Cabinet Office in 2016. It is the highest administrative position for ‘suicide prevention’ in Japan, headed by the Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare.

Suicides in Japan exceed 30,000 per year in Since 1998 Since 1998, the number of suicides in Japan has increased to more than 30,000 per year. 2003 of 2003 34427 The number of visitors has been decreasing little by little since its peak in 1998, peaking at 34427 in 2003. 2015 In 2015, the number of The number of respondents decreased to 24025 The number of people decreased but began to increase due to the corona disaster. The background, of course, is the economic stagnation caused by the spread of the new corona. In particular, suicides among part-time workers in precarious positions and women in the service industry, which was hard hit, have increased.

In addition, the period after the consecutive holidays is a time to be careful, as some people suffer from what is known as “May illness” due to their inability to adjust to the new environment after the start of the new fiscal year.

While the Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare was raising awareness of the crisis, the suicide of a comedian was reported on May 11.

Despite the “alert” on May 5, the coverage of the suicides was excessive, and some of the TV content was, frankly, over the line.

On the 11th, the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare and its affiliated organization, the Center for Suicide Prevention and Control, jointly issued a “renewed alert.

The following broadcasts and reports may increase the risk of suicide.

Reporting the “means” of suicide

Broadcasting live from in front of the deceased’s home

Posting photos or videos of the place of death (home)

・Interviews on the street to report the reactions of the public.

These five lines, written in particularly large red letters, strongly express the sender’s indignation.

In fact, the year before last, there was an increase in the number of suicides, which is believed to be due to the influence of suicide reports. I must say that the ‘reporting’ seen in some of the media could not be called reporting. That is the reason why we issued this warning.

Can suicide be prevented simply by paying attention to the media reports?

On the other hand, there is also this testimony in light of the increase in the number of suicides in the past few years due to the Corona disaster.

The Ministry of Health, Labor, and Welfare had to do something at this point. However, it is also necessary to seriously face the criticism that no drastic measures had been taken regarding suicides. I think it was not a good idea to focus the problem solely on the way the media coverage was handled. I am keenly aware of the need to adopt all possible measures to reduce suicides,” said a Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare official.

Mr. Daisaku Seto of the Anti-Poverty Network, which continues to provide support for the needy, says, “The economic insecurity caused by the Corona disaster is a major cause of concern for the poor.

The economic insecurity caused by the Corona disaster was so great that more and more people found themselves without food to eat today or a place to sleep today.” At the food assistance sites, there are long lines of people waiting in the rain, and some are even sleeping outdoors. The number of impoverished young people in particular is increasing.

If you are in trouble, you can rely on us. Everyone’s life is equally important.

Suicide is often caused not only by economic hardship due to the loss of a job, but also by loneliness due to the severance of social ties. First of all, they must create an environment in which they can survive.

There are many things the government can do to ensure that people can use public assistance without hesitation if they are in trouble. Of course, there are also government policies. There is no shame in using the welfare system provided by the government. Everyone’s life is equally important.

Creating an environment in which people can live, food, clothing, and shelter are important, but above all, loneliness cuts into our hearts. My cell phone is filled with SOS I get calls on my cell phone from people who say they want to die. I go to see them as soon as I can. I don’t want them to feel alone. That is the most important part of our support.

Even if you feel alone, there are various support systems in Japan.

Let’s overcome this difficult situation together while taking advantage of the systems that are available to us.

Don’t hesitate to take advantage of them and survive. After that, we will have to think about what to do next.