Kyodo News reports that 23.6 percent of total respondents admitted to considering suicide – 25.6 percent of women and 21.4 percent of men. The highest number of those saying they had considered suicide were in their 50s, a whopping 30.1 percent. Individuals over 70 were least likely to admit to considering suicide at 19.1 percent.

“Asked how they were able to overcome their suicidal thoughts in a multiple-answer question, 36.7 percent said they shifted their focuses to hobbies or work, while 32.1 percent said they confided in family members, friends or co-workers,” Kyodo reported.

Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world, as well as one of the highest life expectancy rates and a notoriously low rate of childbirth. The statistics predict a demographic collapse, particularly in light of the government’s strict limits on immigration. The Japanese government estimates that the national population will drop by 20 million – from 100 million to 80 million – between today and 2065.

In fact, the researchers that conducted this study say that it is almost certain to happen eventually. Of course they probably don’t believe that such an event is imminent or else they would be moving out of the state like so many other people are.

When I came across news stories about this brand new study I was absolutely astounded. Here is a short excerpt from one of them…

"The Big One may be overdue to hit California, but scientists near LA have found a new risk for the area during a major earthquake. They claim that if a major tremor hits the area, it could plunge large parts of California into the sea almost instantly. The discovery was made after studying the Newport-Inglewood fault, which has long been believed to be one of Southern California’s danger zones."

The attacker has not been named by police. Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of counter terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, said they think they know who he is and that he was inspired by international and Islamist-related terrorism, but gave no further details.

The attack unfolded at about 14.40 GMT on Wednesday when a single attacker drove a grey Hyundai i40 along a pavement over Westminster Bridge, near the Houses of Parliament in central London, killing three people and injuring many more. The car then crashed into railings outside the Houses of Parliament.

The attacker, armed with a knife, ran to Parliament where he was confronted by the police. PC Palmer - who was not armed - was then stabbed and killed. The attacker was shot dead by armed officers. Mrs May said the attack was a "sick and depraved" attack on the heart of the capital. Such attempts to defeat UK values were "doomed to failure", she said.

She paid tribute to the "exceptional men and women" of the police force who responded to the attack, saying: "We will all move forward together, never giving in to terror and never allowing the voices of hate and evil to drive us apart."

The prime minister added: "The location of this attack was no accident. The terrorist chose to strike at the heart of our capital city where people of all nationalities, religions and cultures come together to celebrate the values of liberty, democracy and freedom of speech." She is expected to make a statement in the Commons later.

The carnage on Westminster Bridge and inside the grounds of Parliament is the attack that security chiefs here in the UK have long been preparing for. Terrorism looks not just to kill and maim - but to create panic and such a sense of disorder that it rocks a city or nation to its foundations. And this attacker sought to do so in as low-tech way as is possible.

Sean Spicer, Mr Trump's spokesman, added that "the city of London and Her Majesty’s Government have the full support of the US government".

The full White House statement read:

President Donald J Trump spoke today with Prime Minister Theresa May of the United Kingdom to offer his condolences on today’s terror attack in London and his praise for the effective response of security forces and first responders. He pledged the full cooperation and support of the United States Government in responding to the attack and bringing those responsible to justice.

European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker said the attack left him "highly emotional". In Brussels to commemorate the one-year anniversary of attacks on the main airport and a metro station, Mr Juncker said "the fact that exactly on the same day something similar happened in London, and to London, is really putting me in the situation of someone who does not have... enough words to express how I am deeply feeling."

During his inaugural address, Germany’s new president, Frank-Walter Steinmeier, said Erdogan risks undermining everything Ankara has achieved in recent years. “The way we look (at Turkey) is characterized by worry that everything that has been built up over years and decades is collapsing,” Steinmeier said during his inaugural speech on Wednesday.

“President Erdogan, you are jeopardizing everything that you, with others, have built,” he noted, adding that he would welcome “credible signs” to ease the conflict. “But end the unspeakable Nazi comparisons!” Steinmeier stressed. “Do not cut ties with those who want partnership with Turkey! Respect the rule of law and the freedom of media and journalists! And release [German-Turkish journalist] Deniz Yucel,” he added.

Other German politicians have also lambasted Erdogan’s Nazi comparisons. “Has Mr Erdogan lost his mind?” asked Julia Kloeckner, the vice-president of Merkel’s CDU party. She also told journalists that she would urge the EU to halt the transfer of “financial aid worth billions of euros” to Turkey, Die Zeit reported.

Earlier, Merkel also urged Ankara to stop using Nazi references, saying that Germany “will not allow the victims of the Nazis to be trivialized.” Her appeal appears to have fallen on deaf ears.

After nearly 1 million Rwandans were murdered by other Rwandans in 1994, our government asked itself: Why not bring more of this fascinating Rwandan culture to America? Ten thousand of them poured in. So far, nearly 400 have been convicted in the United States of lying on visa applications about their role in the genocide.

In 1960, 75 percent of the foreign-born in America were from Europe. Today only about 10 percent are. More than a third of all post–Teddy Kennedy act immigrants — not just the wretched humanitarian cases — don’t even have a high school diploma.

What is the affirmative case for this? How is it making America better? Improving the schools? The job market? Crime? The likelihood of terrorism?

Against that confusing backdrop, the European Union has been quick to emphasize that it is in favor of trade deals, and is keen to sign as many as possible, presumably hoping to fill the economic and political vacuum left by the US.

One of the negotiations that has been going on in the background is for a major trade agreement between the EU and Japan. It began back in March 2013, but has garnered little attention, as people focused on the more imminent threats of TPP, TTIP, CETA and TISA.

That's just changed, thanks in part to a joint statement signed by dozens of civil societies in both the EU and Japan, who write:

“...the European Union and the Japanese government have been negotiating a deep and comprehensive trade agreement which would cover a third of the world's GDP. The 18th round of negotiations took place in Tokyo in December 2016, and whilst the negotiations might come to a close soon, on the EU side, the mandate given to the negotiators is still not public, and on the Japanese side, secrecy is total.

Neither most parliamentarians in EU member states and in Japan, nor European and Japanese civil society organisations and trade unions know the content of the discussions. Nor have they seen draft chapters or been consulted. We condemn this opacity.”

Acting Deputy Commissioner and head of counter terrorism at the Metropolitan Police, Mark Rowley, said a major investigation was under way into the "marauding terrorist attack". He said the attack started shortly before 15:00 GMT when the car was driven over Westminster Bridge, hitting and injuring a number of members of the public and the three police officers, who were on their way back from a commendation ceremony.

Mr Rowley said after the car crashed, a man armed with the knife "continued the attack and tried to enter Parliament". He said it was believed there was only one attacker, but "I am sure the public will understand us taking every precaution in locking down and searching the area as thoroughly as possible".

The incident outside Westminster is exactly the kind of scenario that security chiefs have been planning for. It looks like the type of attack jihadis have wanted to carry out in Britain - namely attacking people with a vehicle and taking on the security forces with knives. In the security services' jargon this is known as a "marauding attack" and is the hardest type of terrorist incident to predict and defend against. That means casualties, as we have seen in Nice and elsewhere, are inevitable.

But what matters just as much is how the police then respond. Armed police at Parliament were able to stop the attacker. Within minutes, Westminster was flooded with more armed officers, including counter-terrorism specialists. Inside Scotland Yard, teams of detectives began working on the next critical phase - establishing the suspect's movements, whether he acted alone and, in tandem with their colleagues on the street, making sure London is as secure as it can be in light of these awful events.

Westminster remains locked down and it will remain so until Scotland Yard is certain the threat has been contained.

During the campaign, Donald Trump repeatedly stated that we “can’t continue to allow China to rape our country”, and he was quite correct about that.  Over the past ten years, the US has run a trade deficit of over $2 trillion with China, and as a result of imbalanced trade we have lost tens of thousands of manufacturing businesses, millions of good paying jobs, and hundreds of billions of dollars of tax revenue.

So clearly something needs to be done to balance our trade with China and other countries.  But the situation must also be handled delicately, because trade disruptions could bring substantial short-term economic pain.

The relationship between the United States and China was starting to deteriorate badly even before Donald Trump was elected, and it is very easy to see how it could totally break down in the months ahead. And considering how interconnected the global economy is today, the United States and China could easily end up dragging down everyone else along with them.

After clashing with President Donald Trump on economic policy at their first White House meeting, Merkel called for the swift conclusion of a trade accord between Japan and the European Union. That followed a renewed German-Chinese commitment to open markets on the eve of her trip to Washington and Merkel’s backing for a free-trade accord between the EU and Mercosur, the South American economic bloc.

“Internationally, we are seeing a tendency toward protectionism and navel-gazing,” Abe said alongside Merkel during a news conference at the CeBit tech show in Hanover, Germany, on Monday. “What we need is trade that’s both fair and free.”

The display of German-Japanese unity underscores a rift elsewhere among the world’s biggest economic powers after US insistence on “fair” trade triggered conflict at a weekend meeting of Group of 20 finance chiefs in Germany. Another potential clash looms when Trump, Abe, Merkel and the leaders of Canada, France, Italy and the UK meet at a Group of Seven summit in Sicily in May.