The Prime Minister of Japan has appointed a "Minister of Loneliness" in response to the recent increase in suicides in the country, The Japan Times reported.

Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga added a minister of loneliness to his Cabinet earlier this month, following the example of the UK, which in 2018 became the first country to create a similar role.

Suga tapped minister Tetsushi Sakamoto, who is simultaneously in charge of combating the nation’s falling birth rate and revitalizing regional economies, for the new portfolio.

According to preliminary figures released by the National Police Agency of Japan, 20,919 people in the country took their own lives in 2020, up 750 from the previous year and marking the first year-on-year increase in 11 years. The surge is largely attributed to a noticeable rise in suicides among women and young people.