疫情下的日本自杀人数骤减 专家指出三点原因

尽管外界担心新冠疫情可能造成人们压力增大、心理救助机构人手不足，但日本四月份自杀人数却同比下降20%，创下五年来最大降幅。

The suicide rate in Japan fell by 20% in April compared with the same time last year, the biggest drop in five years, despite fears the coronavirus pandemic would cause increased stress and many prevention helplines were either not operating or short-staffed.

尽管人们担心新冠疫情会导致压力增加，许多心理危机干预热线不是停止运营就是缺人手，然而四月份日本的自杀率相比去年同期却降低了20%，这是五年来的最大降幅。

People spending more time at home with their families, fewer people were commuting to work and delays to the start of the school year are seen as factors in the fall.

人们花更多时间和家人待在家里，更少的人通勤去上班，学校开学也推迟了，这些都被视为导致自杀率降低的因素。

In April, 1,455 people took their lives in Japan, 359 fewer than in April 2019. Suicide has been on a downward trend in Japan since peaking at more than 34,000 cases annually in 2003. Last year saw just over 20,000, and the large drop last month came at a time when there were fears of a fresh spike.

四月份日本有1455人自杀，比2019年四月份少了359人。自从日本年度自杀案件在2003年达到超34000例的高峰后，就一直在下降。去年自杀案件数量刚过2万，而最大降幅出现在上个月，正是人们担心自杀率会重新升高之时。

New coronavirus infections reached their peak in mid-April in Japan at more than 500 a day, leading the government to declare a state of emergency on 16 April, though the restrictions were less strict than those of other countries.

日本新冠肺炎新增确诊人数在四月中旬达到了一个高峰，每日新增确诊人数超过500人，迫使政府在4月16日宣布进入全国紧急状态，不过限制措施不像其他国家那么严格。

The stay-at-home measures affected suicide prevention organisations, with about 40% of them either shut down or working reduced hours, leading to worries about vulnerable people.

居家令对自杀干预机构造成了影响，其中约40%的机构或是关门，或是缩短工作时间，引发人们对脆弱人群的担忧。

Amid the decline in suicide of recent years, there has been an increase among children, with bullying and other problems at school a frequently cited cause. The start of the academic year, in April in Japan, is a particularly stressful time for some, but its postponement due to the pandemic may have saved lives, at least temporarily.

近年来尽管自杀率下降了，但是儿童自杀率却升高了，校园欺凌和其他校园问题导致的自杀案件频发。四月份日本新学期开始的时间是某些人压力特别大的时候，但是疫情导致的延期开学可能拯救了一些生命，至少暂时如此。

"School is a pressure for some young people, but this April there is no such pressure,” said Yukio Saito, a former head of telephone counselling service the Japanese Federation of Inochi-no-Denwa. “At home with their families, they feel safe.”

日本自杀预防联合会（电话咨询热线服务）的前主席斋藤由纪说：“学校是一些青少年的压力来源，但今年四月份没有这种压力。”

As for adults, at times of national crisis and disasters, “traditionally, people don’t think about suicide”, said Saito, pointing to a drop in cases in 2011, the year of the giant earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima.

斋藤由纪说，对成年人而言，在国家危机和灾难时刻，“传统上，人们不会考虑自杀”，他指出2011年自杀案件减少，那一年发生了特大地震、海啸和福岛核泄露事故。

A large drop in the number of people commuting to offices, where they often work long hours, is also being seen as another contributing factor in the lower suicide rate.

通勤去上班的人数大幅减少，这些人往往工作时间很长，这也被视为导致自杀率降低的另一个因素。

However, economic and work pressures are factors. The year after the 1997 Asian financial crisis saw a record rise of nearly 35%. A prolonged economic downturn caused by the pandemic could lead to a rebound in cases, said Saito.

但是，经济和工作压力是促使自杀增加的因素。1997年亚洲金融危机的第二年，自杀率创纪录地上升了近35%。斋藤由纪称，疫情引发的长期经济衰退可能会导致自杀率反弹。