The number of suicides in the reporting year stood at 32,249, down 844, or 2.5 percent, from 2007.

The agency said it released yearly suicide data for 2008 several months earlier than usual so nongovernmental groups campaigning against suicide can grasp the situation and propose preventive measures.

The agency compiled monthly data for the first time and details such as reasons and motives for suicide will be released by the end of May.

Males accounted for 22,831 of the total suicides in 2008, down 647, or 2.8 percent, from the previous year. Females came to 9,418, down 197, or 2.0 percent.

The number of suicides surpassed 2,000 in all 12 months. October topped the list with 3,092, followed by March with 2,939 and April with 2,854.

Tokyo topped the 2008 list of a prefecture-by-prefecture breakdown of suicides with 2,941. Tokyo is followed by Osaka with 2,128, Kanagawa with 1,818, Hokkaido with 1,726 and Saitama with 1,653.

The number of suicides dropped more than 100 in the reporting year in Hyogo, Osaka, Tokyo, Niigata and Ibaraki. Hokkaido saw an increase of 86, Nagano 80 and Saitama 68, the agency said.