Japan: Suicide still main cause of death for 15-39 year-olds

Almost 22,000 Japanese people took their own lives in 2016, the lowest number in 22 years, but the country's suicide rate remains the sixth worst in the world, and teenagers remain particularly prone to killing themselves.

According to Japan's National Police Agency statistics, 15,121 men and 6,776 women committed suicide last year. The total of 21,891 is down almost third from the peak of 34,427 recorded in 2003.

However, for those aged between 15 and 39, it is still by far the leading cause of death, ending the lives of more Japanese people than cancer and accidents - the next two causes - put together.

In 2014, the latest year for which comprehensive WHO data is available, Japan's suicide rate was 19.5 per 100,000 people per year, about a third lower than that of Lithuania and South Korea, which lead the rankings. Russia had a suicide rate of 21.8.

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