Letters
Necessity of Comprehensive Suicide Prevention
Measures among Women in Japan:
A Comparison between Japan and France in
Age-classified Suicide Rates

The Editor,Sir,

In a report by the National Police Agency, the annual suicide
rate in Japan changed from approximately 17–19 per 100 000
population during 1992–1997 to approximately 24–27 during
1998–2003. In France, the suicide rates decreased from 1996
to 1999 (1). In Japan, for men, the suicide rate is the10th
highest in the world, and for women, the rate is the third
highest confirming that the ranking for suicides amongfemales is higher than for males (2). A comparison of thetrend in the suicide rates among age groups in Japan andFrance underscores the necessity of implementing furthersuicide prevention measures in Japan. In this report, wecompared age-classified suicide rates among women in Japanand France in 1992, 1996 and 2000 according to a report bythe ‘Journal of Health and Welfare Statistics’ of the Healthand Welfare Statistics Association.
The annual suicide rates in 1992, 1996 and 2000 were
11.7, 11.5 and 13.4 per 100 000 population in Japan and 10.9,
10.4 and 9.5 per 100 000 population in France. The rates in2000 showed an increase over those in 1992 and 1996 inJapan, while they showed a decrease in France. In Japan,age-classified suicide rates in 2000 showed an increase overthose in 1992 and 1996 for every five-year age rank fromages 15 to 64 years. In contrast, the rates in 2000 showed adecrease as compared with those in 1992 and 1996 for thesame age groups in France. In both countries, the suicide
rates in the ages 65–74-year group and 75-year or over groupin 1992, 1996 and 2000 were high, even though the rates inthese age groups showed a decrease or tendency to decrease.
Given this result, we must investigate measures to prevent
suicide in all age groups of women in Japan. The maincausative factors of suicide among women in Japan are

231“psychiatric disorders” and “suffering from physical illness”
in the younger, the middle-aged and the elderly groups (3).
In order to reduce “suffering from physical illness”, patientsshould be given physical and mental support. Early detection
and treatment of “psychiatric disorders” is critical in theprevention of suicide. To prevent suicides among women inJapan, all organizations have to cooperate in implementing
comprehensive suicide prevention measures.

From: K Inoue1, T Fukunaga2, Y Okazaki3, M Masaki4,Y Nishimura5, A Nishida6, K Hagiwara5, Y Ono1.
1Department of Public Health, Fujita Health University
School of Medicine, Aichi 470-1192, Japan, 2Tokyo Medical
Examiner’s Office, Tokyo Metropolitan Government, Tokyo112-0012, Japan,3 Tokyo Metropolitan Matsuzawa Hospital,
Tokyo 156-0057, Japan, 4Warakukai Incorporated MedicalInstitution, Aichi 453-0015, Japan, 5Department ofPsychiatry, Mie University Graduate School of Medicine,Mie 514-8507, Japan, 6Tokyo Institute of Psychiatry, Tokyo156-8585, Japan
Correspondence: Dr K Inoue, Department of Public Health,Fujita Health University School of Medicine, 1-98,
Dengakugakubo, Kutsukake-cho, Toyoake, Aichi 470-1192,
Japan. Email: (K. Inoue)
REFERENCES
1.

2.
3.

Bellanger MM, Jourdain A, Batt-Moillo A. Might the decrease in thesuicide rates in France be due to regional prevention programmes. Soc
Sci Med 2007; 65: 431–41.
Chida F, Sakai A, Takaya Y, Otsuka K, Yoshida T. Social factors ofsuicide. Psychiatry 2006; 8: 352–8. [in Japanese]
Fukunaga T, Tanifuji T, Inoue K, Ro A. Suicide from the standpoint of
medical examiners. Psychiatry 2007; 10: 449–55. [in Japanese]