Overview
- Preliminary figures show 19,097 suicides nationwide in 2025, down 1,223 from the prior year and the first time the total has fallen below 20,000, marking a third straight annual decline.
- Student suicides reached a record 532 since data began in 1980, including 10 in elementary school, 170 in junior high and 352 in high school; by sex, 255 were male and 277 were female.
- Health problems (11,293 cases), economic and living difficulties (5,359) and family issues (4,198) were the leading recorded motives, with “living hardship” cases rising by about 130 and linked to price increases.
- The ministry reports declines among middle-aged men and fewer business-failure or debt-related cases, and it notes that youth suicides have remained elevated since a sharp rise around 2020.
- Japan’s suicide mortality rate was 15.4 per 100,000 in 2025, missing the government’s 2026 goal of 13 or lower, with final confirmed statistics due in March and plans to bolster measures in coordination with the Children and Families Agency.