How Is Suicide Different in Japan?

In this study, we analyze suicide rates among OECD countries with a particular effort made to gain insight into how suicide in Japan is different from suicides in other OECD countries. Several findings emerged from fixed effect panel regressions with country specific time-trend. First, the impacts of socioeconomic variables vary across different age-gender groups. Second, in general, better economic conditions such as high level of income and higher economic growth reduce suicide rate while income inequality increases suicide rate. Third, suicide rate is more sensitive to the economic factors captured by real GDP per capita, growth rate of real GDP per capita, and Gini index than to the social factors represented by divorce rate, birth rate, female labor participation rate, and alcohol consumption. Fourth, female and elderly generation suicides are more difficult to be accounted for. Finally, in accordance to the general belief, the suicide problem in Japan is very different from those of the other OECD countries. The impact of socioeconomic variables is greater in Japan than in other OECD countries. Moreover, the empirical result of significant Gini index in Japan is consistent with individuals' aversion to inequality and relative deprivation discussed in the recent literature.