疫情下的日本自殺人數驟減 專家指出三點原因
儘管外界擔心新冠疫情可能造成人們壓力增大、心理救助機構人手不足，但日本四月份自殺人數卻同比下降20%，創下五年來最大降幅。
The suicide rate in Japan fell by 20% in April compared with the same time last year, the biggest drop in five years, despite fears the coronavirus pandemic would cause increased stress and many prevention helplines were either not operating or short-staffed.
儘管人們擔心新冠疫情會導致壓力增加，許多心理危機干預熱線不是停止運營就是缺人手，然而四月份日本的自殺率相比去年同期卻降低了20%，這是五年來的最大降幅。
People spending more time at home with their families, fewer people were commuting to work and delays to the start of the school year are seen as factors in the fall.
人們花更多時間和家人待在家裡，更少的人通勤去上班，學校開學也推遲了，這些都被視爲導致自殺率降低的因素。
In April, 1,455 people took their lives in Japan, 359 fewer than in April 2019. Suicide has been on a downward trend in Japan since peaking at more than 34,000 cases annually in 2003. Last year saw just over 20,000, and the large drop last month came at a time when there were fears of a fresh spike.
四月份日本有1455人自殺，比2019年四月份少了359人。自從日本年度自殺案件在2003年達到超34000例的高峰後，就一直在下降。去年自殺案件數量剛過2萬，而最大降幅出現在上個月，正是人們擔心自殺率會重新升高之時。
New coronavirus infections reached their peak in mid-April in Japan at more than 500 a day, leading the government to declare a state of emergency on 16 April, though the restrictions were less strict than those of other countries.
日本新冠肺炎新增確診人數在四月中旬達到了一個高峰，每日新增確診人數超過500人，迫使政府在4月16日宣佈進入全國緊急狀態，不過限制措施不像其他國家那麼嚴格。
The stay-at-home measures affected suicide prevention organisations, with about 40% of them either shut down or working reduced hours, leading to worries about vulnerable people.
居家令對自殺干預機構造成了影響，其中約40%的機構或是關門，或是縮短工作時間，引發人們對脆弱人羣的擔憂。
Amid the decline in suicide of recent years, there has been an increase among children, with bullying and other problems at school a frequently cited cause. The start of the academic year, in April in Japan, is a particularly stressful time for some, but its postponement due to the pandemic may have saved lives, at least temporarily.
近年來儘管自殺率下降了，但是兒童自殺率卻升高了，校園欺凌和其他校園問題導致的自殺案件頻發。四月份日本新學期開始的時間是某些人壓力特別大的時候，但是疫情導致的延期開學可能拯救了一些生命，至少暫時如此。
"School is a pressure for some young people, but this April there is no such pressure,” said Yukio Saito, a former head of telephone counselling service the Japanese Federation of Inochi-no-Denwa. “At home with their families, they feel safe.”
日本自殺預防聯合會（電話諮詢熱線服務）的前主席齋藤由紀說：“學校是一些青少年的壓力來源，但今年四月份沒有這種壓力。”
As for adults, at times of national crisis and disasters, “traditionally, people don’t think about suicide”, said Saito, pointing to a drop in cases in 2011, the year of the giant earthquake, tsunami and nuclear meltdowns at Fukushima.
齋藤由紀說，對成年人而言，在國家危機和災難時刻，“傳統上，人們不會考慮自殺”，他指出2011年自殺案件減少，那一年發生了特大地震、海嘯和福島核泄露事故。
A large drop in the number of people commuting to offices, where they often work long hours, is also being seen as another contributing factor in the lower suicide rate.
通勤去上班的人數大幅減少，這些人往往工作時間很長，這也被視爲導致自殺率降低的另一個因素。
However, economic and work pressures are factors. The year after the 1997 Asian financial crisis saw a record rise of nearly 35%. A prolonged economic downturn caused by the pandemic could lead to a rebound in cases, said Saito.
但是，經濟和工作壓力是促使自殺增加的因素。1997年亞洲金融危機的第二年，自殺率創紀錄地上升了近35%。齋藤由紀稱，疫情引發的長期經濟衰退可能會導致自殺率反彈。