Dear Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Minister of Education Hakubun Shimomura and Minister of Health, Labor and Welfare Norihisa Tamura,

I am a clinical psychologist studying in Japan, with a particular interest in suicide prevention. In this regard, since last year I have been monitoring the suicide rate among Nepalese in Japan. The results have been highly alarming and came as a complete shock to me.

Between 2011 and the first three months of 2012, seven Nepalese nationals committed suicide in Japan. Among these cases, six were in Japan with working visas (specifically, cook visas) and one was a student.