Phones at the suicide hotline in Tokyo rang continuously as soon as it began its night shift counseling, once a week. The bell never stopped until the volunteers who received the call stopped the counseling shift early the next morning.

Currently, due to the spread of COVID-19, both the number of days of operation and the number of volunteers at the Tokyo Befrienders suicide hotline have been cut, but people’s need for the problem has been cut. suicide is still intact.

The risk of returning to the "dark" period

"There are a lot of people who want to connect and chat, but really we can’t answer them all," Tokyo Befrienders director Machiko Nakayama told Reuters.

As the COVID-19 pandemic was taking a step back, health officials feared that the economic sho‌ck from the disease could bring Japan back to a dark 14-year period since 1998, when it came. more than 30,000 people donate every year. As the country with the highest suicide rate among G7 countries (Group of 7 industrialized countries), Japan has applied many legal and business changes to help reduce suicides to over 20,000. in 2019.

Facing the current crisis that will reverse this outcome, the authorities are calling on the government to increase both financial and living support for workers to reduce the pressures that may push them to come. desperation.

The COVID-19 pandemic will leave tremendous economic difficulties in Japan. Photo: Japan News

"We need to take steps before suicides start again," said Hisao Sato, the leader of an economic consulting non-government organization in Akita, a northern province in Japan known for High suicide rate, speech.

The death rate across Japan has dropped by 20% a year, as of April, the first month Japan has implemented a blockade. But experts note a world-recognized phenomenon: suicides often decline during a crisis and increase thereafter.

"That was the silence before the storm, but now the clouds were above us," Mr. Sato warned.

The counselor is talking to the caller to the Tokyo Befrienders suicide prevention switchboard. Photo: Reuters

The Tokyo Befrienders operators could not forget the "dark" year 1998 when the policy of increasing sales taxes and the Asian economic crisis led to a wave of suicide that killed over 30,000 people each year, after that. culminated in nearly 34,500 suicides in 2003.

Suicide for economic reasons

Economic difficulties are the second biggest cause of suicides, after health reasons - according to Japanese police data in 2019. The data also shows that men are nearly three times more likely to commit suicide. compared to women and most in their 40s to 60s.

The current crisis is forecast to cause the Japanese economy to drop by 22.2% in the second quarter, and especially dangerous to small and medium enterprises that lack cash, while not yet approaching. keep up with government subsidies.

"Really hard. A lot of people are really worried. It’s like waiting for an execution to see if they can survive, ”said Shinnosuke Hirose, CEO of a small human resources company that stopped nearly 90% of the business. 

Japanese people practice social spacing when shopping for food on 5/14/2020. Photo: AP

A Japanese Ministry of Health official in charge of suicide prevention policy told Reuters that his department was planning to ask for more money from the US $ 1.1 trillion stimulus package to help the nation. support for preventive measures, such as opening more hotlines. 

The Resilience Research Unit (RRU) of Kyoto University has predicted an additional 2,4000 suicides if the unemployment rate increased by 1%. If the COVID-19 epidemic subsidy drops within a year, Japan’s unemployment rate could peak at around 6% in March 2021, bringing the number of suicides to about 34,000 a year. If the difficult situation caused by the pandemic continues for 2 years, the unemployment rate increases to 8% in March 2022, then the suicides can skyrocket to over 39,000 cases / year.

“Of course, social support is important, but it can’t be helped right away. Meanwhile, preventing bankruptcy will help immediately, ”said RRU Director Satoshi Fujii.

At the Tokyo Befrienders switchboard, the phone continued to ring. The nightly counseling service used to be open only on Tuesday, with only one volunteer handling the call instead of four, although the center plans to resume an additional consultation in June.

“People have tried their best to get through the blockade, but now they will look back and think, ’why did I do that? What can I hope for ?. At that time I thought many people could choose death, ”warned Tokyo Befrienders, Nakayama.