43rd Breakfast Meeting -Dr. Rene Duignan, the director of the film “Saving 10,000: Winning a War on Suicide in Japan”-
date : 4/12/2013
However the suicide rate in Japan is still high, where it is twice the rate in U.S., and twelve times higher than in the Philippines. The director of this film, Dr. Rene Duignan, works as an economist for the European Union in the Tokyo Delegation, and he had been living in Japan as a Japanophile for more than ten years. In his study about healthcare system in Japan medicine, he was motivated to act on the high suicide rate in Japan. With that, he spent three years to document a film featuring the interviews of 95 people, taking one year for each in interviews, shooting and editing. The film had drawn a variety of problems surrounding suicide, which including the problem of consumer finance, life insurance, economic loss brought by suicide, addictions, and mental health issues. It also recorded issues where people seldom speak about, and introduced the various on-going suicide prevention efforts. The film concluded with ten take home messages, where Dr. Rene urges the audience to seriously consider the issue of suicide through broad and different angles. (medium: Japanese)
■Theme
Meeting Dr. Rene Duignan, the director of the film “Saving 10,000: Winning a War on Suicide in Japan”
■Speaker
Dr. Rene Duignan
He was born in Ireland in 1971, and graduated from University of Dublin. He came to Japan in 1997, and gained his PhD in International business with Aoyama Gakuin University. He had been working as a lecturer in Aoyama Gakuin University for the courses in Global Business, European Economy etc. He was also a teaching fellow in Temple University, where he taught healthcare system. After working with Tokyo Office of Banca d’Italia, he is now working as an economist for the European Union in the Tokyo Delegation since 2011, dealing with the economic problems of Europe and Japan.
The documentary film “Saving 10,000: Winning a War on Suicide in Japan” is accessible at this website. http://www.saving10000.com/
■Date and Time
April 11, 2013
8:00am-9:00am
■Venue
GARB Marunouchi (2-2-3 Marunouchi, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo)
Exhibition date:2013-04-11
Top Research & Recommendations Posts
- [Research Report] The 2025 Public Opinion Survey on Healthcare in Japan (March 17, 2025)
- [Policy Recommendations] The Path to a Sustainable Healthcare System: Three Key Objectives for Public Deliberation (January 22, 2026)
- [Research Report] Perceptions, Knowledge, Actions and Perspectives of Healthcare Organizations in Japan in Relation to Climate Change and Health: A Cross-Sectional Study (November 13, 2025)
- [Policy Recommendations] Reshaping Japan’s Immunization Policy for Life Course Coverage and Vaccine Equity: Challenges and Prospects for an Era of Prevention and Health Promotion (April 25, 2025)
- [Policy Recommendations] Mental Health Project: Recommendations on Three Issues in the Area of Mental Health (July 4, 2025)
- [Policy Recommendations] Developing a National Health and Climate Strategy for Japan (June 26, 2024)
- [Research Report] The 2023 Public Opinion Survey on Satisfaction in Healthcare in Japan and Healthcare Applications of Generative AI (January 11, 2024)
- [Research Report] Survey of Japanese Physicians Regarding Climate Change and Health (December 3, 2023)
- [Recommendations] “Balancing Sustainability and Innovation in the Healthcare System” (December 26, 2025)
- [Discussion Points] Obesity Control as a Challenge for Society: Promoting Understanding of Obesity and Finding Solutions Through Multi-Stakeholder Collaboration (August 21, 2025)
Featured Posts
-
2026-01-09
[Registration Open] (Hybrid Format) Dementia Project FY2025 Initiative Concluding Symposium “The Future of Dementia Policy Surrounding Families and Others Who Care for People with Dementia” (March 9, 2026)
-
2026-01-22
[Policy Recommendations] The Path to a Sustainable Healthcare System: Three Key Objectives for Public Deliberation (January 22, 2026)
-
2026-01-26
[HGPI Policy Column] (No.68) – From the Intractable and Rare Diseases Project “Part 2 – Making Intractable and Rare Diseases a Priority Issue for the International Community: The WHA Resolution’s Vision for a Global Action Plan and Japan’s Role”
-
2026-01-26
[Policy Recommendations] Reshaping Japan’s Immunization Policy for Life Course Coverage and Vaccine Equity: Challenges and Prospects for an Era of Prevention and Health Promotion (April 25, 2025)



