National News

Number of suicides in Japan exceeds 30,000 for 14th year in 2011

TOKYO (Kyodo) -- The number of people who committed suicide in Japan in 2011 stood at 30,513, surpassing 30,000 for the 14th straight year but down 3.7 percent from the previous year, the National Police Agency said Tuesday in a preliminary report.

The figure was the lowest since the number of suicides topped 30,000 for the first time in 1998.

Males accounted for 20,867 of the total, exceeding 20,000 for the 14th straight year.

The monthly figures exceeded levels a year earlier in April, May and June last year. In May, in particular, the number of suicides increased by 585 from a year earlier to a record 3,367.

(Mainichi Japan) January 11, 2012