<p>The 'JIN' Japan Inc Newsletter<br>A weekly opinion piece on social, economic and political trends<br>in Japan.<br>Issue No. 456 Wednesday March 12, 2008, Tokyo</p>
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<p>Depressed Japan</p>
<p>There is evidently a growing trend in Japan towards using the <br>Internet for social activities, such as dating <br>(<a href="http://www.japaninc.com/tt460">www.japaninc.com/tt460</a>). However, a more sinister form of <br>
social activity is also taking place – for many Japanese people,<br>the Internet is a space where depression sufferers can find <br>similar individuals and, rather than try and support each other,<br>make arrangements to meet up and commit suicide as a group. The <br>
latest of such suicide pacts took place last Saturday. A man out<br>walking in Aomori discovered five bodies in a car. On closer <br>inspection, it was revealed that these five people, four of whom<br>came from different parts of the country, had sealed off the <br>
inside of the car and choked themselves to death by burning a <br>noxious substance.</p>
<p>Such stories are relatively common place in Japan, particularly <br>over the last few years and social networking on the web has <br>been the preferred medium for correspondence among suicide pact <br>participants. Behind this, there is evidence to suggest that, <br>
without going so far as actually committing suicide, growing <br>numbers of Japanese people are clinically depressed. Statistics <br>from the Health, Labor and Welfare Ministry suggest that one in <br>fifteen suffer from depression at some point in their lives.</p>
<p>There are many reasons for this rise. For one, awareness, and <br>therefore diagnosis, of depression has risen sharply in the past<br>decade. Many commentators point out the role of the <br>pharmaceutical industry and its marketing of anti-depressants as<br>
a key cause of this heightened consciousness about mental <br>health. Not only has the use of drugs become increasingly <br>widespread (GlaxoSmithKlines' anti-depressant sales tripled <br>between 2001 and 2003), there is a growing awareness of mental <br>
health issues driven by drug company marketing campaigns; this <br>has also redefined understanding of what depression is. </p>
<p>Mike Mills' film last year 'Does Your Soul Have A Cold?' (an <br>anti-depressant advertising slogan) explored this point and <br>Mills' presentation silently questions the power of drugs to <br>really help sufferers – his focus is firmly on the human <br>
struggle against constant, unrelenting misery. However, although<br>awareness in Japan has grown, there is still a stigma attached <br>to depression, arguably much more so than in the US and Europe. <br>In many ways, Japanese society puts more pressure on individuals<br>
to show outward happiness and this may explain why depression is<br>more likely to result in suicide in Japan; if depression is less<br>acceptable, suicide might seem to be an easier option than <br>seeking help.</p>
<p>Other experts link Japan's increasing number of depressives and <br>suicides to the elderly population. The suicide rate is <br>approximately 10% higher among those aged 65 and over. While <br>Internet group suicide pacts, normally involving under-40s and <br>
younger, attract the attention of the mass media, the majority <br>of suicides take place under less dramatic circumstances – an <br>overdose of sleeping pills or simply wondering into the <br>labyrinthine Aokigahara forest near Mt Fuji, a suicide hot spot.<br>
Kaneko et al, writing in the Community Mental Health Journal, <br>suggest that most suicides are not only committed by the elderly<br>but also in more rural areas and that a key factor is physical <br>health. According to their research, 'The strongest association <br>
with depressive symptoms was found among poor subjective <br>physical health,' which therefore makes the elderly much more <br>prone to depression. This means that the problem will likely get<br>worse over the coming years which could also lead to a further <br>
rise in the suicide rate despite government efforts to reduce <br>it. </p>
<p>Other analysts blame increased levels of depression on financial<br>hardship and growing social disparity and this has been <br>something that help-groups have been trying to target. For <br>example, signs put up by loan shark victims in the Aokigahara <br>
forest assuring would-be suicides that their financial problems <br>can be resolved and displaying a helpline number have reportedly<br>saved 29 lives. <br>(<a href="http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080224TDY03303.htm">www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080224TDY03303.htm</a>). </p>
<p>Additionally, the rise in awareness about depression in Japan <br>also comes from the number of high profile celebrities who have <br>spoken about their mental health difficulties. These include <br>Princess Masako and the sumo wrestler Asahoryu. Such stories <br>
further exacerbate the paradox in that heightened awareness <br>pushes up the number who seek medical help for their condition <br>while also pushing people into examining their mental state from<br>a clinical point – the line between 'clinical depression' and <br>
having a touch of the blues has moved in Japan as in other <br>cultures. The only clear winner is the pharmaceutical industry. <br>Last year, Eli Lilly Japan said it expects Japan's <br>anti-depressant market to grow by 30% to 130 billion yen <br>
($1.08 billion) by the time its anti-depressant product <br>Duloxetine is released in Japan around 2009 <br>(<a href="http://www.reuters.com/article/health-SP/idUST29489020070202">www.reuters.com/article/health-SP/idUST29489020070202</a>). <br>
Meanwhile the numbers of people diagnosed with depression is on <br>the up, and so is the suicide rate.</p>
<p>Peter Harris<br>Editor-in-Chief</p>
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<p>++EVENTS</p>
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<p>If you are an English-speaking woman looking to advance your<br>career (or if you know one!), sign up for the<br>FEW Career Strategies Seminar 2008, to be held on March 15<br>at Temple University's Mita Hall. </p>
<p>This all-day event includes presentations on career education,<br>job planning, choosing or changing career paths, as well<br>as starting and running a business. </p>
<p>There will also be several workshops about different<br>industries, and each participant will receive the<br>'2008 Career Guide,' which includes detailed information<br>and advice about working in Japan.<br>Breakfast, lunch and refreshments will be provided, and the<br>
closing session will be followed by a wine reception. </p>
<p>Tickets are 12,000yen (10,000yen for students and FEW members)<br>in advance, or 15,000yen at the door.<br>See <a href="http://www.fewjapan.com/archives/000146.html">www.fewjapan.com/archives/000146.html</a> for more information.</p>
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