. 2024 Jul 31;23(1):150.

doi: 10.1186/s12939-024-02234-z.

Different trends in suicide rates among foreign residents in Japan and Japanese citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic

Yuta Taniguchi^{1

2

3}, Nanako Tamiya^{4

5}, Masao Iwagami^{3

6

7}, Kazumasa Yamagishi^{6

8

9}, Atsushi Miyawaki^{6

10}, Rie Masuda^{3

6

11}, Tomomi Kihara^{6

8}, Jun Komiyama^{1

3}, Hirokazu Tachikawa^{6

12}, Hideto Takahashi^{3

6

13}, Hiroyasu Iso^{2

8}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Services Research, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tenno-dai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.
² Institute for Global Health Policy Research, Bureau of International Health Cooperation, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, 1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan.
³ Department of Health Services Research, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tenno-dai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.
⁴ Department of Health Services Research, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tenno-dai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan. ntamiya@md.tsukuba.ac.jp.
⁵ Health Services Research and Development Center, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tenno-dai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan. ntamiya@md.tsukuba.ac.jp.
⁶ Health Services Research and Development Center, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tenno-dai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.
⁷ Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK.
⁸ Department of Public Health Medicine, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tenno-dai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.
⁹ Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8421, Japan.
¹⁰ Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
¹¹ Division of Nursing, Higashigaoka Faculty of Nursing, Tokyo Healthcare University, 2-5-1, Higashigaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8558, Japan.
¹² Department of Disaster and Community Psychiatry, Division of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tenno-dai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.
¹³ Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Teikyo Heisei University, 4-21-2 Nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo, 164-8530, Japan.

PMID: 39085890
PMCID: PMC11290109
DOI: 10.1186/s12939-024-02234-z

Different trends in suicide rates among foreign residents in Japan and Japanese citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic

Yuta Taniguchi et al. Int J Equity Health. 2024.

. 2024 Jul 31;23(1):150.

doi: 10.1186/s12939-024-02234-z.

Authors

Affiliations

¹ Department of Health Services Research, Graduate School of Comprehensive Human Sciences, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tenno-dai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.
² Institute for Global Health Policy Research, Bureau of International Health Cooperation, National Center for Global Health and Medicine, 1-21-1 Toyama, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-8655, Japan.
³ Department of Health Services Research, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tenno-dai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.
⁴ Department of Health Services Research, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tenno-dai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan. ntamiya@md.tsukuba.ac.jp.
⁵ Health Services Research and Development Center, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tenno-dai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan. ntamiya@md.tsukuba.ac.jp.
⁶ Health Services Research and Development Center, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tenno-dai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.
⁷ Faculty of Epidemiology and Population Health, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, Keppel Street, London, WC1E 7HT, UK.
⁸ Department of Public Health Medicine, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tenno-dai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.
⁹ Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, Juntendo University, 2-1-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-8421, Japan.
¹⁰ Department of Public Health, Graduate School of Medicine, The University of Tokyo, 7-3-1 Hongo, Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo, 113-0033, Japan.
¹¹ Division of Nursing, Higashigaoka Faculty of Nursing, Tokyo Healthcare University, 2-5-1, Higashigaoka, Meguro-ku, Tokyo, 152-8558, Japan.
¹² Department of Disaster and Community Psychiatry, Division of Clinical Medicine, Institute of Medicine, University of Tsukuba, 1-1-1 Tenno-dai, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, 305-8575, Japan.
¹³ Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Teikyo Heisei University, 4-21-2 Nakano, Nakano-ku, Tokyo, 164-8530, Japan.

PMID: 39085890
PMCID: PMC11290109
DOI: 10.1186/s12939-024-02234-z

Abstract

Background: Suicide rates in Japan have increased during the COVID-19 pandemic, and foreign residents may be more vulnerable to mental stress during such crises. Therefore, we aimed to compare the trends in suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic between foreign residents and Japanese citizens.

Methods: Vital statistics of Japan data from January 1, 2016 to December 31, 2021 were used to calculate quarterly sex-specific suicide rates for foreign residents and Japanese citizens. An event-study analysis was conducted to evaluate whether suicide rates during the COVID-19 pandemic increased compared to pre-pandemic estimates; foreign residents and Japanese citizens were compared using difference-in-difference-in-differences estimates.

Results: Between 2016 and 2021, 1,431 foreign residents and 121,610 Japanese citizens died from suicide in Japan. Although the suicide rate for foreign residents was lower than that for Japanese citizens, Korean residents, who comprise approximately half of the foreign decedents, had largely higher suicide rates than Japanese citizens. The event-study analysis indicated that suicide rates increased among foreign residents for both men and women, and continued for men by the end of 2021. In Japanese citizens, after a decline in suicide rates in the second quarter of 2020, suicide rates increased both among men and women, and lasted for women until the fourth quarter of 2021. The difference-in-difference-in-differences analyses confirmed the initial decline in the second quarter of 2020 in suicide rate only in Japanese men and women, and the persistent increase through 2021 in foreign men.

Conclusions: We found differential trends in suicide rates between foreign and Japanese men and women during the COVID-19 pandemic featuring a persistent increase in foreign men. Suicide prevention measures should be focused on these high-risk subpopulations.

Keywords: COVID-19; Foreign residents; Japan; Japanese citizens; Suicide.

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Conflict of interest statement

The authors declare no competing interests.

Figures

**Fig. 1**
Quarterly suicide rates among foreign residents in Japan and Japanese citizens from 2016–2021. Abbreviations: Q, Quarter Note: The gray dashed lines represent the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan (April 2020)

**Fig. 2**
Quarterly suicide rates among foreign residents in Japan and Japanese citizens from 2016–2021, by age group. Abbreviations: Q, Quarter Note: The gray dashed lines represent the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic in Japan (April 2020)

**Fig. 3**
Event-study estimates of suicide rates among foreign residents in Japan and Japanese citizens from 2019–2021 vs. 2016–2018. Abbreviations: Q, Quarter. Note: The bars indicate 95% confidence intervals, and the gray dashed lines indicate the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic (April 2020)

See this image and copyright information in PMC

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Different trends in suicide rates among foreign residents in Japan and Japanese citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic

Affiliations

Different trends in suicide rates among foreign residents in Japan and Japanese citizens during the COVID-19 pandemic

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