Suicides of children in Japan They are the highest in more than four decades, local media reported yesterday, citing the country’s Ministry of Education.
Amid the closures of schools and classrooms due to the pandemic of COVID-19, last year there were 415 cases of children who ended their lives, aged from elementary school to high school, according to the survey of the Ministry of Education.
The number has risen by nearly 100 from the previous year, the highest since registration began in 1974, the Asahi newspaper reported.
Suicide has a long history in Japan, as a way to avoid something perceived as shame or dishonor.
The rate of these acts in Japan has long outpaced the Group of Seven nations, but a national effort slashed the numbers by roughly 40 percent in 15 years, including 10 consecutive years of decline since 2009.
Amid the pandemic, suicides rose in 2020, after a decade of declines. The number of women who took their own lives increased due to the emotional and financial stress caused by the coronavirus, although the increase was smaller among men.
The Education Ministry said a record of more than 196,127 school-age children were absent for 30 days or more, media reported.
The results showed that changes in school and home environments due to the pandemic have had a major impact on children’s behavior, NHK said, citing an official.
THEY CHOOSE MEDICINE
Enrollment to study nursing has skyrocketed in the United States; These are young people who say they are motivated by the global emergency caused by the coronavirus.
Authorities believe that the increase in enrollment could help alleviate a shortage of nurses, which already existed before COVID-19.
PAL
