Present and Future Subjects of Suicide-Related Reports in Japan

In this letter to the editor, the authors contend medical researchers in Japan need to collaborate with experts in other fields & countries with regard to suicide prevention measures. They argue that Japanese researchers need to publish in English. They briefly describe their study in which they identified papers on suicide in Japan that were published in English. 80 such papers were found in the first 8-year period of the study, 1990-1997 & 143 during the second period, 1998-2005. It is concluded that continued reporting on medical aspects of suicide is crucial in decreasing the number of suicides in Japan. (4 refs.)