TOKYO (Sputnik) – According to the NHK media outlet, the annual economic loss was calculated based on potential economic contributions of 23,000 suicide victims, aged from 15 to 69 years, from 2015 had they survived and worked until their 70s.
Since 1998, the number of suicides in Japan exceeded 30,000 people per year, and a record of 34,000 suicidal cases was set in 2003. Two years later, in 2005, Japan established a headquarters on suicide prevention, which helped decrease the number of suicides, saving the country some $900 million.
The suicide rate dropped below 30,000 per year in 2012, and has been declining since then. In 2015, less than 25,000 suicide cases were recorded.
The majority of suicides are committed by men who suffer from health, financial, or familial issues.
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