- Japan appointed a “Minister of Loneliness” this month to tackle the country’s rising suicide rates.
- In 2020, suicide rates in Japan rose for the first time in 11 years, particularly among women.
- More people died from suicide in Japan in October than the total number of COVID-19 deaths up to that point in 2020.
Japan has appointed a “Minister of Loneliness” to take try and reduce loneliness and social isolation among its residents as the country deals with rising suicide rates, Tomohiro Osaki reported for the Japan Times.