Japan has appointed a Minister of Loneliness to curb rising suicide rates.
In 2020 there was a surge in suicide rates in Japan for the first time in 11 years, particularly among women, according to BBC News, Tokyo.
About 879 women died by suicide in October 2020, a 70% increase compared with the same month in 2019.
Minister Tetsushi Sakamoto, who is already tasked with tackling the country’s falling birth rates, will now also oversee government policies that deal with loneliness and isolation.