In a unique new attempt to reach out to suicidal young people in the nation, toilet paper with the message “Dear you, who might want to end it all” is being utilised.
Japan has a long history of suicide issues, and throughout some of the pandemic, the country experienced a rise in the number of suicide deaths.
The health ministry reports that the number of kids in elementary, middle, and high school who committed suicide set a new record in 2020 with 499 deaths.
Yamanashi officials believed that writing encouraging slogans and suicide prevention hotline numbers on toilet paper sheets might be a successful and covert way to assist troubled young people.
“In the restroom by yourself. We believed that at times like this, you could be more susceptible to having feelings of suffering “official from Yamanashi, Kenichi Miyazawa, told AFP.
6,000 rolls including slogans and phone numbers were sent to 12 regional universities last month as part of the campaign.
Images of a curled-up kitten and a woman holding an umbrella and gazing up into the sky are interspersed with remarks written by a mental health professional that are meant to ease loneliness.
“Dear you, spending painful days pretending to be okay for someone else”, reads one message written in blue on the white paper.
“You don’t need to tell us everything… but how about just a little of it?”
