Suicides in Japan fell below 20,000 to record low last year www.japantimes.co.jp

There is still a possibility that final tallies, which will be published in March, will show a slight increase to above 20,000, the ministry said.
The ministry’s figures show that 2019 marked a 10th consecutive year-on-year decrease in the number of suicides, down 881 people — or 4.2 percent — from a year earlier.
Japan may have witnessed a general decline in the number of suicides, but there is one demographic that has proven to be an outlier: youth.
In 2018, suicide was the top cause of death for all demographic groupings from age 15 to 39.
“Preventing suicides of the young is an issue of utmost urgency,” he said.