Japan puts cost of suicides, depression at $32 billion in 2009

In a move to raise awareness among its public to prolonged social malady in the country, the government of Japan on Wednesday released data on the cost of suicides and other depression-related cases to the economy, putting it around 2.7 trillion yen ($32 billion) in 2009, said a media report.

The data showed that people in the working-age group who committed suicide in 2009 would have earned an estimated income of 1.9 trillion yen ($22 billion), the report said.

"In addition to the human toll, we want to show the economic toll from suicides is very high and grave," the report said quoting Yukiko Nakatani, an official with the health ministry.

The number of suicides in Japan stood at 32,845 in 2009, in line with the 30,000 levels recorded in 12 consecutive years. Depression and job losses were cited as the major reasons that caused suicides, according to the police department.

And the people who suffered depression last year would have contributed 109 billion yen ($1.2 billion) to the economy if they had continued in work.