In Japan, where coronavirus-related suicides are increasing, Prime Minister Suga named ‘Minister of Loneliness’ Tetsushi Sakamoto, who acted as Regional Minister.

Social life has ground to a stop in Japan’s battle against the coronavirus, leaving the people to feel constantly depressed and lonely.

The rise in suicides has occurred in the world. Japanese Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga has designated Tetsushi Sakamoto, Minister of Regional Development, as Minister liable for the concerns of the lone people.

Sakamoto claimed in his first speech about his current assignment, “I was advised by Prime Minister Suga to examine the problem and to bring out a holistic approach in cooperation with the ministry in question. I plan to carry out programs aimed at avoiding social isolation and protecting people’s relations.”

Sakamoto also addressed his intention to organize an emergency conference by the end of February and to welcome and listen to others who have helped many people cope with mental health problems, in particular depression and exclusion. Consultations will also be held on support programs, and will also be accompanied by Suga.

The Ministry of Health of Japan has confirmed that the rate of suicide, which has been decreasing in Japan for 10 years as part of strenuous contributions, has begun to increase again for the first time since the end of 2020. In Japan, where 20,919 people committed suicide in 2020, the rise in female and youth suicides is projected to be due to financial hardships exacerbated by the outbreak.

A 70 Percent Rise in The Women Suicide Rate.

Suga has previously reported that about 880 Japanese women committed suicide in October 2020, which is 70% more than the same time last year.

Michiko Ueda, a suicide researcher, said “There are many women who are not married. They have managed to live their own life, work, and survive but generally have no stable jobs. So, they have financial and social issues in harsh times.”

Japan ranks 121 among 153 countries in the 2020 Gender Equity Survey issued by the World Economic Forum (WEF).

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Deputy of Minister of Transport and Infrastructure Ömer Fatih Sayan stated in his post on Twitter, “Social media companies of foreign origin that do not appoint official representatives will no longer receive advertisement payments from our country”.

An advertising ban that covers whole digital marketing practices is in place for providers of social networks such as Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter that have not yet opened a local representative office in Turkey.

Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter have been informed that the advertisement ban deadline has expired on 19 January, with a fine of 40 million Turkish Lira each. If the social network providers plan to open a representative office, even after approximately 5 months, 75 percent of the fines levied before that date will be reduced.

What happens next?

Social platforms such as Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and TikTok, have been required to designate at least one natural or juridical representative in Turkey and have been obliged to provide hosting in Turkey.

• If businesses do not appoint representatives, in April 2021 the bandwidth will be decreased by half and in May 2021 by 90%.
• Youtube, Dailymotion, Linkedin, VK, TikTok, and finally Facebook have announced today that they will designate representatives.
• Firms that are yet to appoint representatives are Twitter, Periscope, and Pinterest.

In this sense, companies and individuals who are taxpayers in Turkey would be prohibited from advertising on platforms that do not have a representative office, i.e.,  who are not subjected to pay tax in Turkey, with the release of this banning decision.

No commercial arrangements with these websites can be made with the advertising ban and these sites will not be paid for social media ads.

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The most recent data published by the Ministry of Health shows that there have been 2087 deaths from Covid-19 since the beginning of the outbreak.

These statistics show that suicide incidents, which have been declining for many years, have risen steadily recently, hitting their highest level since May 2015.

Japan is among the few advanced economies to publish suicide information on a timely basis. Sadly, Japan is the nation with the greatest number of suicide incidents in the Western Pacific following South Korea (26.9 per 100,000). The world average is 10.6 per 100,000.

Suicide incidents in Japan are related to a variety of causes. These causes include long hours of service, school stress, social alienation, and stigma. Records of suicide incidents have been maintained in the country since 1978.

Suicides of Women Increasing

Based on these results, there was a decline in suicide cases over the 10 years leading up to 2019. Last year actually, the number of suicide incidents decreased to 20,000. However, it is believed that the corona-virus outbreak has triggered this pattern and that this spike is primarily affecting women.

Men form the bulk of people who have committed suicide in Japan. However, the percentage of women taking their own lives is rising.

Is Covid-19 the only variable to blame?

Japan was one of a few countries that quickly controlled and limited corona-virus cases. As a result, they now have less stringent quarantine requirements relative to many European countries and America.

In other words, the root causes of suicide in Japan may be interpreted as deeper problems – unrelated to COVID-19.

According to CNN’s article, Associate Professor Michiko Ueda of Waseda University in Tokyo, “We have not even been locked down and the effect of Covid-19 has been very minimal compared to other countries.”

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The organizations have 72 hours to apply for the mandatory licensing process, or risk the consequences of being banned. With that risk in mind, the local news reports of the notice has caused users of the services concern. They worry that their broadcasts could be blocked.

Turkey is a place that has already witnessed the banning of channels such as Wikipedia and YouTube. Therefore, the problem of temporarily not being able to access Spotify seems quite possible.

In the notice, TUK stated that, in compliance with Law No. 6112 on Radio and Television Establishment and Broadcasting Services, an offer was submitted for the licensing procedures to be completed within three months. They further demanded that these organizations should apply for their official licenses within 72 hours.

Provided that the companies pay the broadcasting license fee in advance within the specified period, they will be able to continue broadcast services for another 3 months while waiting for completion of the licensing process.

Spotify has reportedly submitted the license application. What’s more, the music streaming service has also agreed to open a registered Spotify office in Turkey.

The Law on the Control of Internet Broadcasts and the Battle Against Crimes Committed by these Broadcasts came into force as a new regulation as of October 1st in Turkey as well.

This legislation, which raises censorship concerns, mandates that all external social network providers, with a daily audience of more than 1 million, must establish representative offices inside the borders of Turkey. If they fail to comply, the blocking of access to these apps is anticipated.

Facebook and Instagram are among the most used social media platforms in Turkey. Neither platform has an official office in the country. As such, this law raises the question of whether will go through the same process, of face a ban of their service. As yet, Facebook has not made any official statements on this issue.

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The Nagorno-Karabakh region is a mountainous area on the Azerbaijan side of the border between the two nations. However, the majority of the population in the area is of Armenian descent.

So, despite the recognition of the region as a part of Azerbaijan, the Nagorno-Karabakh are essentially controlled by Armenian groups. All of this has been a hotly debated topic since the 1990s.

During the last war between 1988 and 1994, about 30,000 people lost their lives. 

This area was an autonomous region when it was a part of the Soviet Union. However, with the fall of the Soviet bloc, things changed. The land was recognized as a part of Azerbaijan even though its inhabitants are predominantly Christian Armenians and Muslim Turks.

Why does this conflict matter in global politics?

The Azerbaijan – Armenia conflict is taking place in an area where major oil pipelines are located. As such, military battles and continued instability may jeapordize the seamless flow of oil.

A major oil and gas giant, SOCAR, released a statement reported on by the Russian news agency Interfax. In response to escalating tensions in the region, the company indicated that security measures have been strengthened in the areas around the oil infrastructure.

Russia has military bases in Armenia and has sustained a moderate political relationship with Azerbaijan, calling for a ceasefire for the sake of peace.

Another neighbor country of Azerbaijan, Turkey, openly supports Azerbaijan. Turkey perceives Azerbaijan as a brother country and Azeri Turk fellows. As such, Turkey makes claims for Armenian forces to withdraw their “occupation”.

Latest Reports of Military Conflict

With the rising tension in the region, border clashes were reported this week starting on Sunday, 27^th September.

According to reports, the total number of fatalities has reached 95 – with 11 civilians killed. The Armenian Defense Ministry officials reported that 200 troops were injured as well.

Currently, both states have declared general mobilization and martial law. The United Nations Council is expected to make statements after emergency talks with regard to initiate ceasefire and de-escalation of military attacks. They openly state that there is no military solution to the conflict.

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