Signs of an increase in suicides due to the effects of COVID-19

Dear editor

After originating in the City of Wuhan, China in December 2019, COVID-19 has spread worldwide; currently, there are about 5.3 million infected and about 342,000 dead (24 May 2020). ¹

Since late February 2020, there has been a ‘slight decrease in patrons of eating and drinking establishments’ in Japan. Since the latter half of March, people have ‘tended to self-isolate’. In April, the national government declared ‘a state of emergency’ due to COVID-19, and national officials and prefectural governors ‘asked residents to stay home and avoid travel outside the prefecture unless necessary’, they ‘asked schools to close’, and they asked ‘stores to close and facilities to restrict user access’.

We researched the number of suicides and the number of corporate bankruptcies in Japan over a period of 30 years from 1989 to 2018.^2,3 A statistical analysis of those numbers with Spearman rank correlation test indicated that the two items were significantly correlated (r = 0.61, p < 0.001 for both sexes, r = 0.58, p < 0.001 for males, and r = 0.491, p < 0.01 for females) using EZR Version 1.36. ⁴

The number of COVID-19-related bankruptcies in Japan increased abruptly in 2020, totalling two bankruptcies in February, 23 in March, and 84 in April. ³ The bankruptcies increased in April. In some overseas areas, the incidence of COVID-19 has temporarily decreased, but it may increase again. If so, then corporate bankruptcies in Japan will increase further, most likely leading to an increase in suicides. Some prefectures in Japan are gradually ending self-isolation and lifting facility closures and restrictions, but things will take time to return to normal. In order to prevent suicide resulting from financial and personal suffering from the effects of COVID-19, the national and prefectural government need to institute a system of financial assistance and lifestyle support for businesses and the public in both the short and long term, to the extent possible.