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Tokyo (CNN) -
Suicides among Japanese schoolchildren hit a record during the last school year, according to a report from the Ministry of Education released on Wednesday.
Japan recorded 415 suicides among schoolchildren ages 6 to 18 during the 2020 school year, the highest number since records began in 1974.
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A variety of factors were behind the suicides, including family problems, poor school performance, relationships with other children and illness, Japanese public broadcaster NHK reported.
The reason behind more than half of the suicides reported last school year is unknown, NHK said.
The figure was 31% higher than the previous school year, when 317 schoolchildren died.
"The rise in suicides is extremely alarming," Eguchi Arichika, director of the division of child and student affairs at Japan's Ministry of Education, told NHK.
The Japanese Ministry of Education conducts an annual survey of schools at all levels and collects data on suicides, bullying, and truancy.
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Wednesday's report also found that more than 190,000 elementary and middle school students were out of class for 30 days or more last school year, NHK said.
That's a record, and about 8% more than the previous year.
"The results show that the pandemic has caused changes in the school and family environment and has had an impact on the behavior of children," Eguchi said.
"I want to advocate for efforts to make it easier to share ways that people can find help and make sure that children who cannot attend school can continue to learn."
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It is unclear how much lockdowns from the pandemic contributed to the increase in school absences.
Primary and secondary schools were closed in Japan from March to the end of May 2020. The Japanese school year begins in April and ends the following March.
The survey showed that around 30,000 students stayed out of school for 30 days or more due to concerns about coronavirus infection, NHK reported.
How to get help
See here the lines of attention and prevention of suicide in Latin America, the United States and Spain.
If you live in the US and have suicidal thoughts, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 800-273-8255 (800-273-TALK) for free and confidential support.
It is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
For crisis assistance in Spanish, call 888-628-9454.
TrevorLifeline, a suicide prevention counseling service for the LGBTQ community, can be reached at 866-488-7386.
Befrienders Worldwide connects users with the closest emotional support center for the part of the world in which they live.
Crisis Text Line, which Biden mentioned, is an international service that provides a live trained crisis advisor via simple text message asking for help.
The first few responses will be automated until they have an advisor on the line, which generally takes less than five minutes.
If you are in the US or Canada, text 741741. If you are in the UK, text 85258 and those in Ireland can text 50808. The National Service of Salud also lists a variety of resources on its website.
Suicide
