Page 261 - merged

S057-1

Japan's Suicide Prevention: Achievements and Challenges

Tadashi Takeshima

Department of Health and Social Welfare for the Disabled, Health and Welfare Bureau, Kawasaki City/ Center for
Suicide Prevention, Japan

Background/Objective: Suicide is a global public health problem and solutions to it can be found
only through a global dialog. The suicide rate in Japan has been alarming, but Japan has made
substantial efforts to reduce this rate. The objectives of this presentation is to clarify the structure of
Japan’s suicide prevention policy from multilateral viewpoints.

Method: We review the development process of a comprehensive policy of suicide prevention in
Japan from 1970s to present and investigate the contributing factors for it and clarify the future
challenges. We also introduce a comprehensive policy of suicide prevention in Kawasaki City in
relation to the historical development of Japan’s suicide prevention policy and comprehensive
community care in Kawasaki City.

Result: The activities searching for a comprehensive suicide prevention policy can be found in the
1970s, however, they couldn’t have enough effect on government policy. Japan’s suicide prevention
policy was facilitated by the rapid increase of suicide rate in 1998, the 2006 Basic Act for Suicide
Prevention and the 2007 General Principles of Suicide Prevention Policy. The challenges for further
development of suicide prevention policy exist in well-balanced community development of suicide
prevention activities in relation to comprehensive community care.

Conclusion: Suicide prevention is everybody's business. The three kinds of intervention strategies,
universal, selective and indicated prevention strategies in community are essential for well-balanced
suicide prevention policy, and the WHO’s definition of health, health is a state of complete physical,
mental and social well-being and not merely the absence of disease or infirmity, could be used in the
well-balanced suicide prevention policy.

Reference: Takeshima T, Yamauchi T, Inagaki M, et al: Suicide prevention strategies in Japan: A
15-year review (1998–2013), J Public Health Policy. 2015.
WHO: Preventing suicide -A global imperative-. 2014.