Suicide Victims: Male

There is a section on suicide in the vital statistics, in which the number of suicide victims is listed by sex and by prefecture. The rate of male suicide victims was calculated by prefecture. The rate of male suicide victims in 2006 was highest in Akita, with 63 victims per 100 thousand male population. This is close to three times the rate in Nara, with the lowest rate, and the deviation value, 82, is also high.

Other prefectures in the Tohoku area besides Akita are also ranked high. Wikipedia's speculation with respect to regionality is as follows:

"Wikipedia 'Suicide'
On the other hand, the rates of suicide are high in other prefectures in the same Tohoku area as Akita which has long been the worst number one, such as Aomori, Iwate, Yamagata and Fukushima, and prefectures along the Sea of japan such as Niigata, Toyama, Tottori, Shimane and Yamaguchi. An "economic" factor due to the decline of local industries and a "health" factor such as depression being caused as a result of illnesses arising due to the decrease in the number of hospitals are given as the two major reasons. Another major factor is believed to be the great number of people who believe atypical lifestyles discraceful due to the conservativeness of the region. For example, the rate of people living on welfare is the lowest in Toyama prefecture and the rate of divorces is the lowest in Niigata.

Suicides are also said to be frequent in especially the wintertime along the Sea of Japan where cloudy weather and snow continue. Such climates are believed to be factors forming prefectural natures in the Tohoku area and prefectures along the Sea of Japan. On the other hand such climates are also believed to have negative affects on human psychology (seasonal emotional disorders and winter depression), and these symptoms, although rarely, are believed to be factors leading those with severe symptoms or those who are troubled to commit suicide."

High distribution in Tohoku and Kyushu and low distribution in the central part of Honshu is similar to the distribution of the number of deaths due to cancer, which may be due to people troubled by health conditions committing suicide.