Through toilet paper.. A unique way to fight suicide in Japan

It can be read in blue letters on these white sheets "Honey, you’re the one who has a hard time pretending everything is fine… You don’t have to tell us everything, but why don’t you just tell us a few?".

In addition to these messages written by a specialist in Mental health Accompanied by suicide prevention telephone numbers, there are also soothing images on the toilet paper, such as a cat curling up on itself.

Yamanashi authorities distributed 6,000 such documents to 12 local universities last month.

Prefectural official Kenichi Miyazawa explained on Monday "just be inside the bathroom…and we feel that in those moments bad thoughts may come to your mind".

As in many other countries, an increase in the number of suicides has been observed in Japan with the Covid pandemic further isolating many people.

In 2020, nearly 500 children and adolescents committed suicide in Japan, a national record and double the number from 2016, according to the Ministry of Health.

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This idea has been applied by universities in Japan’s Yamanashi Prefecture in western Japan TokyoAccording to Agence France-Presse”.

In blue letters on the white sheets read: “Darling, you who find it hard to pretend that everything is fine… You don’t have to tell us everything but why don’t you just tell us a little?”

In addition to these messages written by a specialist in Mental health Accompanied by suicide prevention telephone numbers, there are also soothing images on the toilet paper, such as a cat curling up on itself.

Yamanashi authorities distributed 6,000 such documents to 12 local universities last month.

“You’re on your own,” prefectural official Kenichi Miyazawa said on Monday the bathroom… We feel that at times like this you can have bad thoughts.

As in many other countries, an increase in the number of suicides has been observed in Japan with the Covid pandemic further isolating many people.

In 2020, nearly 500 children and adolescents committed suicide in Japan, a national record and double the number from 2016, according to the Ministry of Health.