A Minister for Loneliness has been appointed by Japan to reduce social isolation and loneliness, the Japan Times reported.
The announcement was made after a rise in suicide cases was recorded in Japan for the firs time in 11 years due to the pandemic.
Japan Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga followed the example of Theresa May, who created in 2018 a similar profile to help reduce the number of people taking their own lives in the UK.
Tetsushi Sakamato, whose responsibilities also include fighting the declining birth rate in Japan and boosting regional economies, has been assigned this task.
Tetsushi has to examine national matters, including the issue of the increasing women’s suicide rate under the pandemic, he said in his inaugural press conference.
