TOKYO: At least 61 pregnant women across the nation died by suicide over the four years through 2025, according to new research. Thirty-one of them, just over half, were unmarried.
The figures were revealed in a joint survey by the Japan Suicide Countermeasures Promotion Centre and the Japan Society of Obstetrics and Gynecology.
The two groups worked together to analyse information from the National Police Agency, which since 2022 has kept records of suicide victims identified as pregnant women or new mothers.
Consultation services for people experiencing unexpected pregnancies have been established across the country under names such as Ninshin SOS.
“Consultation services, obstetrics and gynecology clinics, and local governments must work together regularly to support pregnant people facing difficulties,” said centre representative Yasuyuki Shimizu.
According to the survey, an additional 149 women died by suicide within a year of giving birth.
When data was compared for suicide causes across the three groups — pregnant women, new mothers within a year postpartum, and all other women — it became clear that relationship problems were widespread during pregnancy, but family issues linked to matters like childcare were strikingly frequent after giving birth.
Yoko Sagara, vice president of the society, said women are prone to emotional instability right after childbirth due in part to rapid hormonal changes.
Still, the findings showed that 76 per cent of the 149 postpartum suicides occurred three months or more after giving birth.
“Factors like sleep deprivation, parenting fatigue, the burden of household chores and a sense of isolation may have played a much larger role than hormonal changes,” Sagara said. - The Japan News/ANN
