In Japan, more people died from suicide last month than from Covid in all of 2020

Government statistics of Japan shows that suicide claimed more lives in October than Covid-19 has over the entire year to date. 

According to Japan's National Police Agency, the monthly number of Japanese suicides rose to 2,153 in October and on the other hand, Japan's official death toll due to Covid-19 is 2,087 as of Friday, reports CNN. 

According to preliminary police data, the total number of suicides for October was 2,153, an increase of more than 300 from the previous month and the highest monthly tally since May 2015.
 
Of October's cases, 851 were women, a rise of 82.6% over the same month in 2019. The number of suicides by men rose 21.3%.

Cases of suicide had been falling steadily until July but then the economic impact of the novel coronavirus outbreak hit home and the numbers started rising, activists say.

Women, who are more likely to be in non-permanent employment in the retail or service industries, have been disproportionately affected by job losses.
Through the ages in Japan, suicide has been a way to avoid shame or dishonour.

For many years getting psychological help was stigmatized and Japan has the grim distinction of the highest suicide rate among G7 countries.

But when suicides hit a peak of 34,427 in 2003, alarmed policymakers drew up a comprehensive prevention programme launched in 2007.

Through a combination of government and corporate efforts that included identifying at-risk groups, capping over time and making it easier to get counselling, suicides decreased to just over 20,000 last year.