理事長コラム②

「コロナ禍の痕跡」

　コロナ感染が本格化した２０２０年～２０２２年の３年間は、日本の、そして秋田県の自殺者数の増減に深い痕跡を残しました。3密（密閉・密集・密接）は、人の集まりを禁止し、人の移動を制限し、地域経済を大きく縮小させました。秋田県の飲食街は人気が消えて暖簾のある老舗の店舗の閉鎖が相次ぎ、地方都市の有名はホテルは廃業と倒産に追い込まれました。自殺問題は社会問題ですから、社会の動向を注意深く観察していると、どの地域の、どの業種の、どの年齢層の自殺が増加するかがおおよそ予測できます。自殺対策にとって必要なことはは事態の変動を予測した事前の対策になります。コロナ禍によって最も大きな被害を受けた旅館・ホテル業、飲食業、小規模製造業などに勤務していた派遣労働者、非正規雇用のパートタイマーなどが解雇や休職になりました。コロナ禍による自殺者数の増加は女性と40代、50代の勤労者の自殺が顕著になっています。これからの「秋田モデル」は、コロナ禍によって増加した勤労者対策とこれまで通りの高齢者対策が主軸になるでしょう。

The Chancellor’s Column (2)
Tuesday, August 1, 2023

“Traces of the Corona Disaster”

The three-year period from 2020 to 2022, when the corona infection was in full swing, left deep traces on the rise and fall of suicides in Japan and in Akita Prefecture: the three Cs(closed spaces, crowded places close – contact settings )prohibited people from gathering, restricted their movement, and greatly reduced the local economy. Akita Prefecture’s restaurant districts lost popularity and long-established establishments with goodwill closed one after another, while famous hotels in local cities were forced out of business and into bankruptcy. Since the suicide problem is a social issue, careful observation of social trends can roughly predict the increase in suicides in any given area, in any given industry, and in any given age group. What is necessary for suicide prevention is to anticipate the changes in the situation and take countermeasures in advance. Temporary workers and part-time workers in the hotel, restaurant, and small-scale manufacturing industries, which were most severely affected by the corona disaster, were laid off or took leaves of absence. The increase in the number of suicides due to the corona disaster has been marked by suicides among women and workers in their 40s and 50s. The “Akita Model”　from now on will focus on measures for workers increased by the corona disaster and measures for the elderly as in the past.