For the first time in 13 years, male deaths rose to 14,543, while female deaths fell slightly to 7,041, the preliminary report said.
According to MHLW and based on statistics from the National Police Agency, the tendency to take suicide predominated among the middle-aged and elderly, with a focus on pensioners and the unemployed, while minors declined to 441 in a country of nearly 126 million people.
Likewise, the agency emphasized that the most frequently cited reasons were health and family problems.
Yamanashi led the prefectures with the highest incidences, with a suicide rate of 24.3 per 100,000 people, followed by Akita (23.7) and Miyazaki (22.7).
In this regard, Chief Cabinet Secretary Hirokazu Matsuno said at a press conference that the government is working to expand the system of telephone and social media consultations.
He also stressed that they provide employment and financial support to those who have lost their jobs through no fault of their own.
“We will continue to promote comprehensive measures to achieve a society in which no one is forced to commit suicide,” he stressed.
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