The Importance Of Adopting Suicide Prevention Measures Based On An Analysis Of Suicide Trends Among Women In Japan

Introduction: The number of suicides in Japan sharply increased in 1998, and has continued in recent years. Therefore, suicide is one of the most important social issues in Japan. In this report, we examine the suicide trends and main causative factors of suicide among women in Japan. We also discuss further suicide prevention measures based on the results.Materials and Methods: This research examined the annual suicide rate among women in Japan in 1993, 1994, 2003 and 2004, focusing on age-classified suicide rates and the causative factors of suicide in 2003 and 2004. In addition, we compared the suicide rates of the first period (1993 and 1994) and the second (2003 and 2004) in detail.Results: "Health problems", both mental and physical, ranked first among causative factors in all age groups; addressing this factor, as well as others, will be important in preventing suicide among women in Japan.Conclusion: Suicide prevention based on the causative factors of suicide by age group is of urgent importance.