By Yuliia Chekhovska | Lead Outreach Coordinator
Dear Friend,
Prioritizing and maintaining mental health can be challenging. Many potential barriers exist, such as cost, language, stigma, and even our own beliefs about how we should cope. Mental health challenges can lead to loneliness and isolation, which can lead to depression, and in some cases, suicide.
Suicide remains one of the most preventable causes of death in the world. According to the Japanese Ministry of Health, Labour, and Welfare, 20,320 lives were lost to suicide in 2024 - approximately 56 deaths every day. While the overall trend is slowly declining, Japan experienced a record-high 529 suicides among minors last year. Suicide is also the leading cause of death for people aged 15-39 in Japan.
TELL is here for the community. Whether through anonymous conversations on the Lifeline, ongoing support via our counseling services, or community outreach events and workshops, we remain committed to being a consistent source of care, as we have been for over 53 years. Our goal is not only to sustain these services, but to continue expanding them - through increased Lifeline availability, improved access to counseling, and outreach programs that reach communities across Japan. We are especially proud that the TELL Lifeline is now toll-free, further reducing barriers to access.
By supporting TELL, you are directly supporting this vision.
Through the year of 2025, together we achieved:
• 11,330 Lifeline sessions, a 20% increase from 2024
• 12,199 counseling sessions, an 8% increase from 2024
• 130 community workshops, events, and trainings, reaching more than 7,268 participants nationwide
The demand for direct mental health support through counseling and the Lifeline grew significantly underscoring the continued and increasing need for accessible mental health services.
We could not do this work without you. Your generosity has made a tangible difference in the lives of individuals and families across Japan.
As we move into 2026, TELL remains deeply committed to strengthening mental health support for Japan’s international and multicultural communities, ensuring that language, culture, or background are never barriers to care.
From all of us at TELL, thank you for standing with us and for being part of our mission to provide mental health support and prevent suicide in Japan.
With much appreciation,
The TELL Team
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