Local Community Support

Below is a list of questions frequently asked about promoting suicide countermeasures by local governments

The Japan Suicide Countermeasures Promotion Center (JSCP) has compiled the answers to the most commonly asked questions made to the Concierge for Local Government Supporters by local governments, and made them available to the public as the following collection of FAQs.

1. Contacting the Concierge for Local Government Supporters

Q. Is there any problem for individual municipalities to contact JSCP's Concierge to convey their local requests and opinions?

A. In addition to consulting with the Local Suicide Countermeasures Promotion Center (Local Center), which is the most familiar presence, municipalities are also welcome to consult their local Concierge as well.

2. Regarding support for municipal countermeasures

Q. After the plan is formulated, what are the important things to consider when proceeding with suicide countermeasures?

A. It’s recommended during the planning stage to establish headquarters to take stock of operations, however this is essentially aimed at bringing both internal and external bodies together for the project. At the project management stage, using the confirmation sheet and involving both internal and external bodies will foster a sense of ownership about the project, facilitating overall operations.

ーー

Q. What kind of support can municipalities ask for from prefectures?

A. Local Centers established by prefectures are expected to provide various types of support including planning, project progress management, and evaluation, and the prefectural government is also expected to provide information and other support. If you have any problems in promoting projects, please consult with the JSCP as well as the Concierge for Local Government Supporters.

ーー

Q. We are having difficulties in selecting committee members/lecturers for our meetings and training programs. Is it possible to request JSCP to participate in the meetings and training sessions of individual municipalities?

A. JSCP is considered to be a conference/training service for prefectural and designated cities, and as such we do not accept requests from other individual municipalities. Also JSCP does not introduce individual committee members or lecturers, so please consult with your Local Center, which has a local network, to see if there is anyone who can be requested in your prefecture or region.

ーー

Q. Due to various constraints brought about by COVID-19, it has been difficult to conduct training sessions and relevant campaigns in a group setting, and we are wondering how we should proceed with information dissemination and education projects.

A. Under these circumstances, outreach and information dissemination via media/online is considered effective. Possible methods include listing advertisements, awareness-raising through video distribution services, as well as through newspapers, advertising media, public relations papers, and cable TV. It is also important to share information with each other at liaison councils.

3. Understanding the reality of suicide

Q. Which data can be referred to in order to understand suicide by age, cause etc. in each city or town?

A. Suicide statistics compiled by the National Police Agency list the number of suicides by cause and occupation, the Profiles of Suicide in Local Communities (based on statistical information), and basic regional information are all useful sources.

ーー

Q. How should the data contained in the Profiles of Suicide in Local Communities be handled at conferences?

A. The data based on the special aggregation of suicide statistics in the Profile includes information that cannot be released publicly in order to protect the privacy of people killed by suicide and the bereaved families. Non-publishable data may only be used within the scope of confidentiality and must not be disclosed to third parties. In order to reduce the risk of information leaks, unnecessary distribution or sharing of such data should be avoided. If necessary, consider distributing selected excerpts or collecting materials immediately after use. For draft plans based upon the Profiles, please ensure that this information is not included in the drafts made available for public comment.

ーー

Q. What units should be used when referring to the suicide mortality rate?

A. In principle, the suicide mortality rate does not have a specific unit and is simply represented as a percentage of the total population. However, this does not mean that the “number of people” as a unit is precluded when seeking ease of understanding. Since the suicide mortality rate is presented as per 100,000 individuals in the Profiles, it is then preferable to use the number of deaths per 100,000 people.

4. Submission of documents

Q. Regarding the submission of the confirmation sheet and countermeasure implementation progress reports, are these conducted annually with reports being lodged in the following financial year?

A. Each local government is required to submit their report to their Local Center in the following financial year. Local Centers in turn should submit the progress reports from the municipalities in their jurisdiction to JSCP.

ーー

Q. Is it correct to assume that other than the confirmation sheet, countermeasure implementation progress reports, implementation plans and reports, local governments are not required to conduct any other surveys or reports?

A. In some cases, we may ask for your cooperation in conducting project-specific surveys that are necessary for promoting suicide countermeasures.

5. Information related to project promotion

Q. Where can the Profiles of Suicide in Local Communities be obtained?

A. The Profiles can be provided to each municipality via the Local Suicide Countermeasures Promotion Centers. (Since 2017, the Profiles have been provided and updated)

ーー

Q. What are some examples of suicide countermeasures in other municipalities?

A. Please refer to and use the information provided by JSCP via the Local Centers on initiatives taken by other local governments, as well as the examples listed in the Suicide Countermeasure Best Practice Database.

ーー

Q. Is there some method residents can use to measure their stress levels?

A. We provide the source code for a mental stress checker that can be placed on websites which connect to local consultation services. If you would like to use this service, please contact the Concierge for Local Government Supporters.

ーー

Q. Are there any nationally-accepted logos or catchphrases?

A. The Support-to-Stay-Alive logo mark used by the Office of Suicide Prevention of the Ministry of Health, Labor and Welfare during the 2010 Suicide Prevention Month does not require individual permission for use, as long as it is based on the proper purpose of suicide countermeasures. If you would like to use the logo, please contact the Concierge for Local Government Supporters.