Editorial: Seeking emotional refuge important for Japan’s struggling children

The end of summer vacation is approaching, and at this time of year, Japan sees an increase in social media posts from children saying they “don’t want to go to school” or that “living is hard.”

Of particular concern is the increasing number of suicides among children. In 2022, during the COVID-19 pandemic, the number of suicides among elementary, junior high and high school students reached a record high of 514, followed by 513 in 2023. In the first half of this year there have already been 249 suicides, surpassing the level recorded at the same time last year.

A survey targeting young people conducted in 2022 by the Nippon Foundation found that about half of respondents had thought, “I want to die,” while 40% had actually started taking steps to end their lives. Japan is the only Group of Seven country where suicide is the top cause of death among young people aged 10-29.

In every era, there are children and young people who find it hard to live, but why are so many in Japan suffering to the point that they want to die.

Lack of self-esteem a background issue

An issue that has arisen in various government surveys is a low level of self-esteem. Many children and young people feel “I’m a useless person,” or “I’m not as capable as others,” and they don’t have confidence that they’re making loved ones happy. When children in five countries including Japan, the United States and countries in Europe were asked to rate themselves on a scale of 1 to 10, Japan scored the lowest with an average of 5.8.

Analyzing the situation, Miki Yamashita, a professor of family sociology at Notre Dame Seishin University, who has researched children’s difficulties in life, notes that in an internet society, people can easily connect with one another, and children’s worlds extend beyond their families and schools. At the same time, children are expected to take the responsibility for forging relationships, and because they are more aware about trying to conform to their peers, it has become harder for them to be independent.

Economic conditions at home also impact children’s mental state. A survey conducted by Asunova, a public interest incorporated foundation that works to tackle child poverty, found that children from households receiving support were more likely to feel “irritated” or think “I want to disappear,” compared to the results of another survey targeting the general population of middle and high school students. Over 20% of the children from households receiving aid said they “don’t enjoy” school, nearly double the rate found in the broader survey.

Every one in nine children in Japan is said to be in a state of poverty, and the income gap among households with children is widening. Many parents can’t afford to send their children to cram schools, sign them up for extracurricular lessons, or give them a range of experiences during the summer holidays, leading them to worry that their children will lose motivation.

We must lend an ear to the SOS being signaled by children in tough circumstances and open the door to support. But it is not easy to pick up their voices.

“Few children send out an SOS,” says Koki Ozora, who in 2020 founded the nonprofit organization Anata no Ibasho (Ibashochat.org), which operates a consultation service for children. Many children don’t want to damage their relationships with those around them and so even if they are cornered mentally, they are reluctant to admit it, he says.

The nonprofit group operates a free, anonymous chat service that younger people can use without hesitation. It has Japanese-speaking volunteer counselors in over 30 countries and is set up to respond 24 hours a day, ensuring that no child feels alone even late at night or early in the morning.

Connections providing a place to escape

There is also a private organization that has created a system which automatically displays a counseling service guide if children enter phrases like “I want to die” on the tablet devices distributed to all elementary and middle school students. The connections that are generated through such efforts provide a “place to escape” for children who feel cornered.

The Japan Suicide Countermeasures Promotion Center, a government-designated corporation, launched an awareness campaign this month titled “#Nigekatsu” (escape activities). It tells people “Before you’re driven to the point of wanting to die, there’s the option of ‘escaping,'” and urges them to discuss with their friends and others close to them the methods of escaping and what effect that will have.

“Children’s cafeterias,” which have spread to about 9,000 locations nationwide through local community efforts, can also help children by providing them with a place to belong to apart from home or school.

What is needed on top of that is enhancing a system of support provided by experts.

Over the past 20 years, suicides among middle-aged and older adults have decreased by about a third. It is said to have proven a success that psychiatrists and other medical professionals shared information on people at risk, such as the unemployed and those with depression, with welfare, judicial and other relevant organizations, and responded to them.

However, there are only about two child psychiatrists for every 10,000 children in Japan. Masahide Usami of Kohnodai Hospital, operated by the National Center for Global Health and Medicine, comments, “The number is overwhelmingly insufficient. We need to urgently train more workers and build a supportive network in which multiple professions can collaborate.”

Children hold unlimited potential. Providing an environment in which they have places where they can spend their time in peace and where adults are there for them will help realize the “child-centered society” the government is promoting.