A united lobby for life
(From The Japan Times June 19 issue)

自殺対策強化へ向けて

    To help rectify the situation, the Diet passed a law June 15 requiring the central and local governments and enterprises to adopt measures to prevent suicide. Another pillar of the law is a call for cooperation between the public and private sectors with regard to the care of family members of suicide victims and of those who have attempted suicide. The law, which lays down basic approaches toward suicide prevention, will give legal grounding to various suicide-prevention measures in place and is expected to help make those measures work more effectively than before.

    The drafting of the bill is credited to a nonpartisan effort among lawmakers. The Lower House unanimously passed the law, which the Upper House had endorsed. One influencing factor was a signature drive led by Life Link, established in October 2004. The Tokyo-based nonpolitical organization began its campaign in April with the goal of collecting 30,000 signatures, a number roughly corresponding to the annual number of suicides. By early June, it had collected some 101,000 signatures, reflecting a large number of people who have grieved over the suicide of family members as well as those who fear being cornered into choosing killing themselves.

    Sufferers include children whose parents chose to kill themselves. In 2000, the number of such children younger than 20 was about 90,000. The measures should include helping them recover from the trauma of their loss and protecting them from possible suicidal tendencies.

    Through 1997, the number of suicides nationwide was slightly less than 25,000 annually. But 1998 was a turning point. That year, marked by bank failures and the deepening of corporate restructuring efforts, saw the number jump to 32,863. The number has hovered around that level since then.

    In 2004, the number of suicides per 100,000 people was 24, the second worst among industrialized countries after Russia. Of those who left suicide notes, 40 percent cited health reasons; 31 percent, financial and livelihood-related problems; and 9 percent, family issues. Attention should be paid to the fact that suicide is the No. 1 cause of death among men in their 20s and 30s and is very high among those older than 40.

    The government's response to the suicide problem has been rather slow. In 2002, an experts' committee within the Health Ministry proposed setting up a suicide prevention center. But no concrete action was taken. Only after the Upper House Health, Labor and Welfare Committee adopted a resolution in July 2005 calling on the government to draw up a comprehensive policy on suicides did the government establish an interministerial liaison committee. That was last September; a comprehensive policy was drawn up in December.

    Tokyo has set a goal of reducing the suicide number to less than 25,000 annually in 10 years. Even that figure is about three times greater than that of people killed in traffic accidents annually.

    The law correctly observes that various social factors are behind suicide and that society must tackle the problem. To achieve results, it calls for close cooperation among the central and municipal governments, medical institutions, enterprises, schools, communities and NPOs.

    The central government will write a policy paper on suicide prevention and set up a task force headed by the chief Cabinet secretary to implement comprehensive measures. It will submit an annual report to the Diet. The central and local governments will be obligated to carry out suicide-related research, improve medical services, build systems to help people with suicidal tendencies and lend support to bereaved families.

    To attain the aim of the new law, a system needs to be established in which people can easily talk about their problems and receive advice. Detailed research will be imperative, including efforts to correctly grasp the circumstances, lifestyle and mental conditions of those people who have committed suicide. Cooperation between bereaved families and NPOs will be indispensable in such research.

    Since NPOs are likely to have strong ties with these families, they are expected to play an important role in collecting and analyzing information. Research results will offer helpful clues as to how local governments, NPOs and enterprises can build effective networks to prevent suicides in communities and workplaces.

    The Japan Times Weekly: June 24, 2006
(C) All rights reserved

    自殺対策を国や自治体などの責務とする「自殺対策基本法」が15日、国会で成立した。新法はまた、自殺者の遺族、自殺未遂者に対するケアについて官民の協力を規定し、現行の自殺対策をより効果的にすると期待される。

    新法の草案作成については、国会議員の超党派の努力が実った。自殺対策を支援するNPO団体、ライフリンクが集めた10万人以上の署名も大きな影響因子となった。

    自殺者の遺族には子どももいる。2000年にはそういった未成年遺族は約9万人にも上った。自殺対策には、彼らが喪失のトラウマから回復するためのケアや、自殺予防措置も含めるべきだ。

    97年までは年間の自殺者数は2万5000人弱だったが98年に転換期を迎え、銀行の破綻、企業のリストラの嵐の中で3万2863人に急増した。

    政府の自殺対策は遅れていた。05年7月に参院厚生労働委員会が政府の自殺総合対策策定を求める決議案を可決、9月に連絡委員会を設置し、政府はようやく12月に同対策を発表した。

    新法の下で、政府は自殺を「多様かつ複合的な原因及び背景を有するもの」として、内閣官房長官をトップとする自殺総合対策会議を設置、対応状況を毎年国会に報告する。

    新法の目的を達成するためには、自殺予備軍の人たちが自身の問題について率直に話し、助言を受けられる仕組みが必要になる。自殺者の生活、精神状態などを正確に把握するなど、詳しい調査が求められる。

    遺族と強い結びつきを持つNPOは、自殺についての情報の収集、分析に重要な役割を果たすことが期待される。調査結果は、職場、地域の自殺を予防するための、地方自治体、NPO、企業による効果的なネットワーク構築に役立つだろう。