In a Revolutionary Move, Japan Appoints a Minister of Loneliness for the Country
Japan is a country famous for its unique set of law. In a coronavirus affected world, Japan faces a high suicide rate in the country. Pandemic was a time where loneliness was considered a major factor of depression. People all around were strongly facing this issue. Many had lost their jobs and many were finding it hard to survive the pandemic situation.
With the constant rise in the suicide rate, Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga launched a new cabinet to alleviate this factor.
Japan has now appointed a minister of loneliness to their cabinet earlier this month. Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga followed the example of the United Kingdom, which was the first country to appoint a minister of loneliness, in 2018. Japan’s suicide rate drastically increased for the very first in 11 years during the coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic.
Meet Tetsushi Sakamoto, Japan’s first Minister of Loneliness.
(Appointed after Japan’s suicide rate increased for the first time in 11 years during pandemic).He looks friendly. pic.twitter.com/63OBHRO6ey
— ian bremmer (@ianbremmer) February 23, 2021
Tetsushi Sakamoto was appointed as the minister by the Prime Minister. The department of combating the gradual decrease in birth rate and reinvigorate regional economies also comes under Tetsushi. According to Tetsushi Sakamoto, he was mainly appointed to take control and look into the inversed suicide rate especially the female suicide rate in the pandemic.
The current government in Japan has also submitted a whole new office named isolation/loneliness countermeasures office. Which was inaugurated and added within the cabinet on February 19, it’s for issues such as poverty or child abuse, and suicide which took an absolute rise during the pandemic.
Japan PM announced the new minister to help its people
Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga appointed Tetsushi Sakamoto, the minister of loneliness for japan to examine and eliminate the issue of increased suicide rate with comprehensive strategies through which the Japanese people can coordinate with the ministry for help. The social loneliness and isolation in the time of pandemic have increased due to the quarantine and lockdown resulting in the poor mental health of the people.
A very great step taken by the Japanese government towards the mental health degradation in today’s time unlike other countries japan did not neglect the fact that the people are in need for mental health and suicide prevention ministry.
While the countries are over economic development and are ignoring the fact that the lockdown has affected deeply their people’s mental health japan took a step towards it.