Last year in Japan, 513 children took their own lives, with 'school problems' being the most common factor.
Students who do not want to return to school are called 'futoko', or 'people who do not go to school'.
According to previous research by the Ministry of Education, the main reasons these students avoid school include family circumstances, personal problems with friends, and bullying.
In recent years, authorities and media organizations have tried to raise public awareness about the difficulties students face during this period.
For example, Japan's public broadcaster NHK ran a campaign on Twitter called “The Night of August 31.”
The most recent incident in Yokohama closely resembles a similar incident in 2020, when a 17-year-old boy jumped from the roof of a shopping center in a busy area of Osaka and killed a 19-year-old schoolgirl.
At the time, the boy was charged with post-mortem murder, meaning his family would have to pay restitution to the families of the victims he killed. However, the charges were soon dismissed.
So far, authorities have not laid any charges in connection with Saturday night's death.
While the suicide rate in Japan is slowly declining among the general population, it is increasing among the younger generation.
Japan is the only country among the G7 countries where suicide is the leading cause of death among youth.
Additional reporting by Chika Nakayama in Tokyo.
