Japanese suicides top 30,000 for eighth straight year

The number of suicides in Japan rose marginally last year, keeping the toll above 30,000 for the eighth straight year, amid a spate of suicide pacts forged over the internet.

The number of people who killed themselves rose 0.70 per cent to 32,552 in 2005, from 32,325 in 2004, the National Police Agency said. Japan’s suicide rate is among the highest in the industrialised world.