Teenage suicide has become increasingly common in recent decades. Suicide now ranks as the third leading cause of death among people aged between 15 and 24 (after accidents and homicides) and has been subject of much recent attention.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), Japan has the highest suicide rate among industrialised countries with 2,000 youth suicides between the ages of 15 to 24 in 1999, and the numbers are increasing. Suicide is considered to be the single biggest health-care issue in Japan with suicide rates three times higher than America’s.