Despite dropping by 844, the number of suicides during 2008 was over 30,000 for the 11th consecutive year, the National Police Agency (NPA) announced on Thursday, with 32,249 taking their lives during the year.
Monthly statistics were also published for the first time, with suicides peaking at over 3,000 in October, just as the financial crisis started to gain momentum.
Suicide statistics are usually published every June. Fears that the crisis may precipitate more suicides, however, prompted the NPA to publish the figures two months earlier than usual. Further data on suicides by age and motive will be published during May.
By gender, 22,831 were male (around 71 percent, down by 647 from last year) and 9,418 were female (down by 197). During October, the month after the collapse of financial services firm Lehman Brothers, the number of suicides hit a peak of 3,092, followed by 2,939 in March and 2,854 in April.
The number of suicides in 2009 also looks set to continue the trend, with 2,655 recorded in January (up by 113 from last year) and 2,470 in February (up by 62 from last year).
By area, the Tokyo metropolitan area had the most at 2,941, with Tokushima Prefecture the least with 202. The number of suicides in Hokkaido increased most, rising by 86, followed by Nagano Prefecture with 80 and Saitama Prefecture by 68.
The number of suicides by hydrogen sulphide poisoning leapt over 36 times to 1,056. The NPA has labeled Web sites containing information on how to produce the gas as carrying “harmful information”, and is issuing takedown notices to Internet service providers for such content.
自殺者：０８年は３万２２４９人 金融危機の１０月突出
警察庁は２日、０８年の自殺者が３万２２４９人で、１１年連続で３万人を超えたと発表した。統計の残る７８年以降で２番目に多かった０７年より ８４４人減ったが、初めて公表した月別の自殺者数では、金融危機が深刻化した０８年１０月が唯一３０００人を超え最多だった。急激な景気悪化が影響してい るとみられる。
警察庁は、毎年６月に自殺の統計を公表してきたが、経済状況の悪化で自殺者が増える恐れがあり、抑止に役立てようと、２カ月早く確定値を公表した。年代や動機別データは５月半ばに公表する。
自殺者全体のうち男性が２万２８３１人（前年比６４７人減）で約７１％を占め、女性が９４１８人（同１９７人減）だった。月別では、金融危機の きっかけとなった米証券大手リーマン・ブラザーズの経営破綻（はたん）翌月の１０月が３０９２人。３月の２９３９人、４月の２８５４人が続いた。
今年の自殺者は、１月が２６５５人（昨年同期比１１３人増）、２月が２４７０人（同６２人増）で、１２年連続で３万人を超えるペースとなっている。
遺体が発見された都道府県別では、東京都が２９４１人で最も多く、最少は徳島の２０２人だった。前年比の増減別では、８６人増の北海道がトップ、次いで８０人増の長野、６８人増の埼玉だった。
０８年は硫化水素による自殺が相次ぎ、前年比３６．４倍の１０５６人だった。インターネットの書き込みを参考にしているとして、警察庁は硫化水素 の製造方法など自殺を誘発する恐れのある情報を「有害情報」に指定し、接続業者（プロバイダー）に削除依頼できるようにしている。【長野宏美】
(Mainichi Japan) April 2, 2009
http://mainichi.jp/select/photo/archive/news/2009/04/02/20090402k0000e040031000c.html
The “Maedachi Honzon,” a replica of the temple’s concealed Amitabha Tathagata statue, is shown to the public only once every six calendar years. The display is called “Gokaicho.”
sam in japan 