The number of suicides in Japan is more than the number of people who died from contracting Coronavirus, which once again pushed the suicide issue in Japan into the spotlight of world public opinion. According to the statistics of the Japanese National Police Agency, in October 2020, the number of suicides in Japan was 2,199, and the number of deaths due to contracting Coronavirus in the same month was 2,087. The most surprising fact is that the number of male suicides decreased slightly compared to 2019, but the number of female suicides increased by 15% compared with the previous year. Especially in October 2020, the number of female suicides reached 879, an increase of 70% over October 2019. Why?

In 2020, due to the mandatory isolation and closure of shops and businesses implemented during the COVID-19 epidemic, many social problems emerged: not only direct economic losses but also serious mental stress and mental health problems. This is because isolation and stay-home policies have caused a surge in mental health issues such as loneliness and depression, and the closure and unemployment caused by the closure of shops and businesses have caused many to bankrupt and a surge in poverty. But what is puzzling is, why did the number of female suicides increase?

In the past 20 years, the average age of marriage in Japan has continued to increase, which means that people get married more and more later. Now, there are not a few people who get married in their forties. The bigger change is that the number of people who choose not to marry and stay single for life has increased. Especially women. According to the data in the 2020 White Paper issued by the Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare of Japan, it is estimated that by 2040, nearly 40% of Japanese people will not marry and become single families. (See below)

This also explains from another perspective why Japan’s birth rate has been decreasing, and the total population is decreasing year by year, so Japan’s population structure changes year by year to an inverted triangle. (See below)

What is the relationship between Japanese women's choice of being single and the increase in suicide among women in 2020? The life of female singles is not as carefree as expected. Although they have more freedom and independent rights, they have to bear the huge economic pressure of supporting themselves. The unequal status of men and women in the workplace, gender discrimination, and salary gap are also well-known. This has led to the fact that Japanese women are mostly engaged in non-lifetime employment, known as "unstable occupations", including short-term contract workers or part-time workers, especially in service industries such as hotels, restaurants, and supermarkets.

During the COVID-19 pandemic last year, these service industries suffered a direct blow and were theindustries with the most business closures. Especially different from the men who work in large enterprises, during the closure of enterprises, the employees of these large enterprises temporarily stop working, some with pay and some without pay, and all enjoy various benefits and security. In contrast, contract workers and part-time workers engaged in "unstable occupations" are directly dismissed. Therefore, during the epidemic, Japanese single women suffered a huge blow, "losing their financial resources to maintain their lives, falling into poverty and fear, and then feeling desperate", which is the main reason for the surge in suicide women in 2020.

In fact, suicide is only an extreme manifestation of mental health issues. Other manifestations of mental health issues include irritability, violence, anxiety, depression, etc., especially those who have behaviors or tendencies to commit violence and abuse others. In the United States, it is manifested as a sharp increase in shootings between 2020 and 2021, and most of the criminals defend themselves using the excuse of mental health issues.

Elder abuse increase in Japan and the U.S.

Last year, the number of cases of elder abuse in Japan and the United States increased significantly. According to statistics, it has increased by more than 30% over the previous year. This data includes physical and mental abuse of the elderly, not just direct beatings but also elder neglect such as lack of adequate food or adequate nutrition leading to malnutrition of the elderly, or failure to provide clean clothing or a safe and clean living environment, etc. Elderly mental abuse includes verbal abuse, humiliation, threats or intimidation, deliberate neglect, and mental control, and financial exploitation. Because the elderly are frail and sick, they are the most vulnerable group in the family. The elderly are often regarded as the target of anger, and because they need other people's care, they are often rejected and abused.

Especially in the special social background of Japan, it is very common for elderly children to take care of their elderly parents, which leads to the unique social phenomenon of "care killing" in Japan. In fact, the reason is that the physical fatigue and mental pressure caused by long-term care by elderly children have led to mental diseases, such as depression, hatred and despair. In these "care killing" cases, nearly 90% of elderly children planned to commit suicide after killing their parents. The introverted side of Japanese people often leads these people to withdraw from taking the initiative to tell others about their distress, nor to ask others for help, finally pushing themselves to a dead end.

The author believes that a very effective measure in the U.S. experience is to set up a "free consultation hotline" to provide people who are in trouble or in distress with a place where they can talk or consult anonymously. Of course, it would be more helpful if free psychological consultation could be provided because in fact, most people with mental illness are self-aware, but the expensive psychological consultation fee and treatment fee stopped them from hoping to seek treatment.

June 15th is the World Health Organization’s "World Elder Abuse Awareness Day". This is actually to draw people's attention to the problem of elder abuse caused by cultural, social, economic and demographic changes. This year, the Japanese and American governments and the media have mentioned this date, which is not very popular, in the hope of attracting social attention.

The author Yoko Marikawa is an expert in the elderly care industry in Japan and a pioneer in the elderly care industry. She has long been committed to ensuring and improving the well-being of the elderly by improving the management of nursing homes and the quality of elderly care services. In recent years, in order to find effective solutions to the problems of poor medical services for the elderly, elder abuse, the surge of elderly dementia patients, and the shortage of eldercare workers, Yoko Marikawa has devoted a lot of energy in researching how to use high technology to help solve these serious and urgent social issues, including the use of nursing robots, quantitative management and monitoring systems, etc. This article is an article in Yoko Marikawa's newspaper column "Yoko Marikawa Talks about Eldercare".