TOKYO (AP) - An annual government report says that the number of Japanese who committed suicide in 2010 fell from the year before but remained above 30,000 for the 13th year in a row.
The National Police Agency report published Thursday says a total of 31,690 people committed suicide in 2010.
That represents a 3.5 percent decrease from the year before.
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But the number of people citing grim job prospects in their suicide notes has more than doubled since 2007. About one-third of them were in their 20s, including new graduates seeking jobs.
Japan has long battled a high suicide rate.
Prime Minister Naoto Kan has identified jobs and reviving growth as priorities for his administration.
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