Japan's suicide deaths drop below 20,000 in 2025, youth rates still climb
The 2026 White Paper shows Japan recorded 19,188 suicides in 2025, the first time the total fell under 20,000, while suicide rates among young women stayed high.
Japan's 2026 White Paper on Suicide Countermeasures reports that 19,188 people died by suicide in 2025, the first year the figure dropped beneath 20,000 since records began. Despite the overall decline, suicide rates for women under 30 have climbed, with the rate for those under 20 rising from 2.1 to 4.6 per 100,000 between 2019 and 2025, and for ages 20-29 increasing from 10.2 to 13.7. Young men under 20 also show a gradual upward trend.
Only about 20% of patients hospitalized after self-harm were connected to community support services, and roughly half received merely informational counseling. The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare links the rise to worsening mental-health challenges and family problems. Expert Yasuyuki Shimizu of Lifelink points to social-media pressure on young women and urges digital outreach that automatically offers help when distress is posted online.
Why it matters
The drop signals progress in Japan's suicide prevention, but rising youth rates highlight urgent gaps in mental-health support.
In this story
