A report compiled by the National Police Agency shows that the number of suicides in Japan reached 32,155 in 2006, the ninth straight year the figure has exceeded 30,000.

Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the industrialized world, second only to Russia, and only put into place a basic prevention law in October 2006.

On Friday 8th June, Japan's Cabinet approved a set of measures to reduce the high suicide rate, and aims to cut suicides by over 20% by 2016.

Measures include:

• Increasing workplace counseling
• Filtering websites promoting suicide
• Raising public awareness of the issue
• Tackling unemployment and indebtedness
• Providing preventive education to children and teachers

Various factors, including lack of religious taboo against suicide, have been cited, but matters were certainly not helped when the agriculture minister committed suicide on 28th May.

Although the latest figures show a slight decline in the total numbers of suicides in Japan, alarmingly the number of young people killing themselves increased by a shocking 23%.