Suicides up last year among Japan students

The number of students who took their own lives in Japan in 2011 was up almost 11 percent from the previous year, the National Police Agency reports. The total number of suicides fell by more than 3 percent to 30,651, The Yomiuri Shimbun reported. The year was the 14th straight when more than 30,000 people committed suicide in the country. There were 1,029 student suicides, up by 101 from 2010. Where a reason for the suicide could be determined, 140 were motivated by academic problems and 136 by worries over what they would do after they left university, the NPA report said. There were 5,547 suicides among people in their 60s, the largest number for any age bracket. Overall, health problems were the biggest reason for suicide, with 65 percent of those who left notes or other evidence citing poor health. The Cabinet Office reported that 56 people took their own lives in the second half of the year for reasons related to the devastating March 11 earthquake and tsunami.