DNA Special: How Japan is tackling deadly problem of loneliness among citizens

Japan has appointed its first Minister for Loneliness this month after the country's suicide rate increased during the COVID-19 pandemic. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga added this minister to his Cabinet earlier this month, following the example of the United Kingdom, which in 2018 became the first country to create a similar post.

This ministry will work to overcome the problem of loneliness in Japan. It will identify the symptoms of loneliness in coordination with the schools, clubs, colleges and ministries of the country and then plan to overcome them.
Loneliness has become a real challenge to mankind in this era. This is such a disease where the patient does not ask for medicines from the doctor, rather he asks when he will die. And the most difficult part is that it cannot be diagnosed like other diseases through various medical tests.

Loneliness leads a person to depression and it ends in suicide. According to the World Health Organization, suicide is the third largest cause of deaths among youth worldwide and its biggest reason is loneliness.

Japan has created a ministry to protect its citizens from this problem. This ministry is named the 'Ministry of Loneliness'. Although the people of Japan are famous all over the world for their honesty and hard work, but what no one knows is how its society was becoming hollow due to the increasing problem of loneliness.

Japan population data

Japan has a population of 12.5 crore.

There are about 63 lakh old people residing in Japan.

Japan has over six crore youth.

As many as 5% of the total population comprises elderly and 50% are young.

These elderly populations are the biggest concern of Japan because they do not have anyone near them to fight their loneliness.

Japan suicide cases data

In 2020, suicide cases were around 4 per cent higher than that of 2019. In the year 2019, as many as 20,169 people committed suicide. While 20,919 committed suicide in the year 2020, which means 750 cases increased in a year. Data reveals that 16 out of every 1 lakh citizens were committing suicide. When investigated, it was found that the biggest reason for this is loneliness.

The problem of loneliness is 60 per cent higher among married people than bachelors. You can understand how dangerous loneliness is from a research by the Harvard Business Review. Due to loneliness, the age of man decreases rapidly and it causes the same harm as smoking 15 cigarettes a day.
In Japan, loneliness afflicts not just the older population but across different age groups, including children, young people, women and older people.

After the Great Hanshin earthquake of 1995, the Fukushima earthquake and the tsunami of 2011, many older victims had no choice but to move into temporary housing, where they later died with nobody at their bedside. Such solitary deaths, called 'kodokushi' in Japanese, have become a major public concern in Japan.

The COVID-19 pandemic has only made matters worse.

UK formed the first 'Ministry of Loneliness'

In the year 2018, England formed the first Ministry of Loneliness in the world. Two years later, the people of England believe that they did not benefit from this ministry. The Ministry was created but it could not reach those who needed it the most.