Opinion

Japan is one of the frontrunners of the world in the number of suicides.

As suicide has become a social trend, “suicide sites” have been set up on the internet in this country and texts are posted on them in search of those who would commit suicide together, while the number of visitors to the sites increases day by day. 

With an eye to decreasing the serious suicide rate of the country, the Japanese government decided on a programme of comprehensive countermeasures against suicide at a recent Cabinet meeting.

What draws attention in this programme is the first-ever addition of assistance for women to the priority policy.

Recent years have witnessed a rise in number of women self-murderers in the country, which is mainly attributed to the worsening economic life situation and escalating family violence.

The new programme reportedly includes consultation support for the women who fear unwanted pregnancy and that for those who are out of work due to economic stagnation.

It also encompasses the readjustment of the structure of joint responsibility of schools and regions for preventing adolescent suicide.

According to the 2022 white paper on countermeasures against suicide which was released on the same day as the programme’s, the number of women suicides has been increasing for two consecutive years.

The point is whether the new programme could reduce Japan’s serious suicide rate.

The Japanese authorities have so far made a great fuss as they hatched a “100-day plan against suicide” and issued the white paper on countermeasures against suicide, but no progress has been made. Rather, the suicide rate is soaring and social criticism against the government is getting stronger.

Describing the countermeasures of the authorities as a trick to appease the public who are dissatisfied with them and raise voices against them, the Japanese people blame the government, which is engrossed in irregularities and corruption in disregard of public welfare, for the growing suicide rate.

The voice of the people is the voice of God.

However hard the Japanese authorities put a patronizing air while touting “countermeasures”, it is an inevitable consequence of social ills that people, who have been denied the elementary right to live in Japanese society which is ruled by extreme egoism, mammonism and misanthropy and where anti-popular policies are pursued, opt for suicide and this issue can never be resolved unless the maladies are eradicated.