Abstract

The suicide rate of Japan jumped up by 35% in 1998 just after the Asian monetary crisis. In 2006 the Basic Act on Suicide Countermeasures was implemented by the efforts of suicide survivors, NPOs and bipartisan members of the parliament, which obliged the national government and every local government to be responsible for suicide prevention through comprehensive approaches and supporting suicide survivors. Though the suicide rate in Japan decreased by ca. 30% compared to the peak of it, many challenges for suicide prevention remain, for example, still high suicide rates among young peoples. In order to shrink vast disparities in suicide prevention work among prefectures, municipalities, the Basic Act on Suicide Prevention amended in 2016 obliges every municipality to establish its suicide prevention plan. Japan Support Center for Suicide Countermeasures supports every municipality by providing profiles of actual local suicide conditions in all the prefectures and municipalities and policy packages of local suicide countermeasures.