Japan has appointed its first-ever Minister for Loneliness in a bid to tackle the rise in suicide rates. 

 Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has appointed Tetsushi Sakamoto as its first-ever Minister for Loneliness. Besides this, he is also in charge of managing the nation's falling birth rate and strengthening regional economies. Following Britain's lead, the Japanese government created an isolation/ loneliness countermeasures office in its cabinet on February 19 to counter issues like suicide and child poverty.

In his inaugural press conference, Prime Minister Suga has appointed Sakamoto to address matters of national importance including the issue of increasing women's suicide rate under the pandemic. He added, "(Japan PM) Suga instructed me to examine the issue and put forward a comprehensive strategy, by coordinating with the related ministry... I hope to carry out activities to prevent social loneliness and isolation and to protect ties between people."

According to BBC, Japan has witnessed nearly 880 female suicides alone in October alone-a 70 per cent surge compared to October 2019.

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