Fewer Japanese are taking their own lives, a positive sign in a country with one of the world's highest suicide rates.
The Health Ministry says 21,897 people committed suicide in 2016, down from more than 30,000 in 2011 and the lowest number since 1994.
Almost 70 per cent of the suicides in 2016 were men.
It was the seventh straight year that the number of suicides had declined.
The government has made a determined effort to tackle the issue, starting with national legislation in 2006.
Japan's suicide rate of 17.3 per 100,000 people remains high compared to most other countries.
The US suicide rate is around 13 per 100,000, and the United Kingdom is under 10.
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