'I can't go on': women in Japan suffer isolation and despair amid Covid job losses

Suicide rates among Japanese women rose sharply during the pandemic, prompting calls for support for low-income households

The coronavirus had barely begun its surge across the globe when Ayako Sato was told that the nursery where she worked would temporarily close as part of Japan's efforts to curb the outbreak.

The mother of two teenage daughters expected a few weeks of belt tightening, believing it wouldn't be long before she was working again.