Japan’s suicides jump 16pc in Covid-19 2nd wave: study

Suicide rates in Japan have jumped in the second wave of the Covid-19 pandemic, particularly among women and children, even though they fell in the first wave when the government offered generous handouts to people, a survey found. The July-October suicide rate rose 16% from the same period a year earlier, a stark reversal of the February-June decline of 14%, according to the study by researchers at Hong Kong University and Tokyo Metropolitan Institute of Gerontology. Suicide rate during the second wave jumped 37% for women as the prolonged pandemic hurt industries where women predominate, increasing the burden on working mothers, while domestic violence increased, the report said. The study found the child suicide rate spiked 49% in the second wave, corresponding to the period after a nationwide school closure.

Source: AFP