Nov. 5 (UPI) -- Suicides of Japanese school children have reached a 30-year high, the education ministry said Monday, although overall suicide figures declined.
Statistics from Japanese elementary, middle and high schools indicate that 250 students 18 and under died by their own hand through the fiscal year ending in March 2018. The figure is an increase from 245 deaths last year, and the highest since 1968 when 268 took their own lives.
Officials said of the 250 deaths, 33 reported concerns regarding their future after graduation from high school, 31 identified family problems and 10 said they were bullied in school. The remainder, 140, has issues the ministry listed as unknown.
"The number of suicides of students have stayed high, and that is an alarming issue which should be tackled," ministry official Noriaki Kitazaki said.
It is often difficult to intervene in childhood suicides because children tend not to leave notes, said suicide prevention center chief Yukata Motohashi. He added that a system to detect high-risk children needs to be established.
The overall number of suicides in Japan fell in 2017 to 21,321, from a high of 34,427 in 2003, the National Police Agency reported.
