Japan is looking for a new ally in the fight against one of the most worrying trends among the country's young people - artificial intelligence. After the number of suicides among students reached record levels, Japanese authorities are exploring how AI and digital technologies can identify children at risk earlier and connect them with professional help.
The latest official figures show an unusual contrast. In 2025, the total number of suicides in Japan fell to 19,188 - the lowest level for the country in decades. At the same time, 538 students from elementary, junior high and high schools took their own lives. This is a new record and the second consecutive year of historically high figures.
It is this counter-trend that is prompting the government to seek a different approach. From April 2026, changes to Japan's basic law on suicide prevention will include the use of appropriate information technology and artificial intelligence as part of preventive measures. The Agency for Children and Families is already studying practical models in which digital data and AI can help detect warning signs.
Why students might talk to AI when they are silent in front of adults
The logic behind the idea is simple but controversial. For some young people, talking to a machine may have a lower psychological barrier than confessing to a parent, teacher or doctor.
Generative artificial intelligence is already part of the daily lives of Japanese teenagers. A government survey shows that 46.2% of high school students use generative AI. Among junior high school students, the share is 30.8%, and among children over 10 in elementary schools - 8.6%.
This poses an unusual question for Japanese authorities: if a child in a severe emotional crisis is more likely to first write to artificial intelligence, can this technology become a bridge to a psychologist, doctor or other adult, rather than a substitute for human help?
The idea is exactly that - AI should support early recognition of risk and referral to real support, rather than playing the role of an autonomous psychotherapist. Japanese institutions emphasize that the safety of such systems must be carefully assessed.
Schools are already experimenting with digital early warning
At the local level, some schools are not waiting for the national system. In Tokyo's Adachi ward, a digital screening test to identify students in psychological crisis and at risk of suicide began in September.
The system uses the tablets that students already have, and their responses are analyzed using a standardized psychological assessment tool. The aim is to help school staff spot children who might otherwise never seek help on their own. The initiative was taken after Adachi recorded eight teenage suicides in both 2024 and 2025.
A particularly sensitive period in Japan is the end of the summer vacation. The World Health Organization notes that student suicides in the country tend to increase around the beginning of September, when children return to school. For students, a similar risk is observed around the beginning of the new academic year.
AI can help, but it can also be part of the problem
The technology also carries an obvious paradox. The same artificial intelligence that could recognize a crisis can create a risk if a child begins to perceive it as a trusted friend or a substitute for professional psychological help.
The Japanese authorities themselves recognize this problem. In parliamentary discussions in 2026, the Agency for Children and Families pointed out both the possibilities of using AI in suicide prevention and the danger of excessive dependence on chatbots. The government is also monitoring international cases in which the use of such systems by minors has been associated with serious consequences.
Therefore, the Japanese experiment is not limited to the idea of \u200b\u200b“AI telling children not to commit suicide“. The more ambitious goal is for the technology to spot what adults sometimes miss – a change in behavior, a signal of severe psychological distress, or a moment when a student is ready to seek help.
The challenge is enormous. While the overall number of suicides in Japan is declining, the trend among children is going in the opposite direction. In 2026, the World Health Organization identified suicides among Japanese children and adolescents as a serious public health problem and emphasized the need for prevention, awareness, and accessible forms of support.
If the Japanese model proves effective, the most important role of artificial intelligence may not be to replace the psychologist or teacher. It may be much simpler: to help adults understand in time that a child needs them.