[Suicide prevention in Japan in contrast to overseas]

In 1996, the United Nations (UN) and the World Health Organization (WHO) published guidelines for developing suicide prevention measures at national level. In Japan, the Basic Act on Suicide Prevention was promulgated in June 2006 and a Comprehensive Suicide Measures Framework was formulated in June 2007, which announced that suicide prevention is an official concern and that entire societies should be engaged in such suicide prevention efforts. One of the fundamental principles moving forward is to place emphasis on coordination between medical and community models of care. The medical model is based on the notion that mental disorders that could lead to suicide should be diagnosed at earlier stages and addressed through appropriate psychiatric treatment. The community model, which concerns awareness activities that emphasize earlier detection and attentive social support, is also important. Implementing policies with a long-term perspective that maintain close linkages between these models is a critical strategy for suicide prevention. This presentation investigates the current conditions and issues around Japanese suicide prevention with reference to the UN/WHO guidelines for suicide prevention, and compares the situation to that in other countries.