Variables Associated with Suicide Ideation and Plans in a Japanese Population (Report‪)‬

1. INTRODUCTION Suicide is a serious public health problem not only in Japan but also internationally. Every year, approximately one million people die of suicide; the suicide rate in the world is 16.0 per 100,000 as of 2000 [1]. In Japanese, it was less than 20.0 per year until 1997, but it increased drastically, exceeding 25.0 in 1998. Since then, it is reportedly around 25.0 [2]. In light of this situation, "the Basic Act on Suicide Prevention" was approved in June in Japan, 2006, and "the General Policies of Comprehensive Measures against Suicide" were formulated in June, 2007 to urge local governments to adopt measures for suicide prevention [2]. However, despite these measures, the Japanese suicide rate has not decreased. In 2008, suicide was the seventh leading cause of death in Japan [3]. According to data from the World Health Organization (WHO) in 2009, Japan has one of the world's highest suicide rates [4].