As part of emergency measures, a government team announced Friday that job-placement offices nationwide will offer consultations to people who may be contemplating suicide.
Under the new measures, the offices will deal with depression, heavy debts and other issues known to be factors behind suicides, according to the team.
The team consists of government officials, including Social Democratic Party President Mizuho Fukushima, state minister for social affairs, the head of a nonprofit organization on suicides, and a doctor.
More than 30,000 people have committed suicide in Japan every year for the last 11 years, and the government fears this year's number could climb as the yearend approaches amid the economic downturn.