The significant correlation between increases in suicide rates and increases in male unemployment rates in Mie Prefecture, Japan, between 1995 and 2002

Introduction: The number of suicides in Japan has increased from approximately 22,000 per year from 1988-1997 to over 30,000 per year since then. The number of suicides in Mie Prefecture as well, has increased after 1997. In the Japanese economy, the bubble collapsed in the 1990s, and the unemployment rates in Japan have increased rapidly since 1998. Design, Materials, and Methods: We investigated the total number of suicides and the suicide rates in Mie Prefecture from 1995-2002 in cooperation with the First Department of Criminal Investigation of the Mie Prefectural Police Headquarters. We also investigated the unemployment rates from 1995-2002 in cooperation with the Department of Work in Mie Prefecture. We focused on the correlation of annual suicide rates in Mie Prefecture with the unemployment rates in Japan during the test period. Results and Conclusion: The number of suicides was 2,183 for males and 1,099 for females. The total annual suicide rates correlated significantly with the unemployment rates in Japan: r(8) = 0.83, r(2)(8) = 0.68, p = 0.01; the suicide rates for males correlated significantly with the unemployment rates in Japan: r(8) = 0.91, r(2)(8) = 0.82, p = 0.002. On the other hand, the suicide rates for females did not correlate with the unemployment rates in Japan: r(8) = 0.34, r(2)(8) = 0.12, p = 0.40. Our results indicate that unemployment, which is an important factor in suicide in general, seems to be particularly relevant for the increase in suicide rates in males. When male patients are in a difficult situation on account of being unemployed, the family and medical staff should pay close attention to the patient.