National / Social Issues Mar 19, 2022
Younger people tend to feel more isolated, according to an online survey conducted in February, with 42.7% of people in their 20s saying they feel lonely.
World / Social Issues Dec 21, 2021
As climate anxiety rises, chat groups tackle isolation and taboos
by Sonia Elks
A growing network of discussion groups offer spaces for people to open up about their feelings on the changing climate.
Voices | FOREIGN AGENDA Dec 20, 2021
Give the gift of going easy on yourself this holiday season
by Selena Hoy
The holidays can be lonely for some people, especially after a trying year. Remember to reach out to others and take a moment to relax.
National / Social Issues Jun 3, 2021
Japan high schools ready to talk about mental health in the classroom
by Tomomi Miura
Mental health curricula planned for next spring aimed at preventing depression and other disorders.
National Feb 21, 2021
As suicides rise amid the pandemic, Japan takes steps to tackle loneliness
by Tomohiro Osaki
What constitutes loneliness is a trickier question in Japan, where the overarching term "kodoku" has been used to describe both loneliness and solitude, essentially lumping them together.
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Dec 12, 2020
Rising suicide figures reflect many women’s despair in a pandemic
by Michael Hoffman
Almost as anguishing as having no future is having an unknown one.
National Nov 11, 2020
Japan suicides rise as economic impact of coronavirus hits home
Of October's cases, 851 were women, a rise of 82.6% over the same month in 2019. The number of suicides by men rose 21.3%.
National / Social Issues Oct 9, 2020
Suicide spike in Japan shows mental health toll of COVID-19
by Ayai Tomisawa and Marika Katanuma
The numbers hint at what may be going on around the world as countries grapple with the fallout from mass unemployment and social isolation.
Commentary / World Aug 24, 2020
An epidemic of depression and anxiety among young adults
by Andreas Kluth
As COVID-19 spreads, so do mental health problems, especially among Gen Z and millennials. A lot of this had to do with uncertainty.
National / Social Issues Jun 13, 2020
Suicide in Japan: Seeking to part the dark clouds as pandemic threatens recent progress
by Andrew McKirdy
The death of ‘Terrace House’ star Hana Kimura in May has thrust the issue of suicide back into the national spotlight.
National / Media | BIG IN JAPAN Jul 13, 2019
Working harder in a bid to save labor is proving exhausting
by Michael Hoffman
The utopia of utopias is "Utopia" by Sir Thomas More (1478-1535). Its best feature is leisure. There are no idle nobles; everyone works. A burden shared is a burden lightened. Utopians "do not wear themselves out with perpetual toil from morning to night, as ...