The National Police Agency announced last month that 32,845 people took their own lives in 2009, a rise of 596 from the previous year. This marks the 12th consecutive year in which the number of suicides has topped 30,000 — a sad persistent trend in Japan.

The police determined the likely causes of 24,434 suicides, or 74 percent of all cases, by such means as notes left by victims or information from people close to victims. Unemployment led 1,071 people to kill themselves, an increase of 65.3 percent; other life-related hardships led to 1,731 suicides, a rise of 34.3 percent.

The number of suicides jumped in October 2008 following the onset of the global financial crisis and has remained high since. Each month, from January to August 2009, saw more suicides than for the same month a year earlier.