Japan suicide rate ranked 4th among high-income countries, WHO report says

[yuiyoshida]

About 803,900 people worldwide are estimated to have killed themselves in 2012, a World Health Organization report revealed Thursday.

Japan, which had 29,442 suicides in the same year, ranked fourth among high-income countries in terms of the number of suicides per 100,000 people, following South Korea, Lithuania and Russia.

Suicides in low- and middle-income countries accounted for nearly 75.5 percent of the total, the report said.

Many of the deaths were among those aged 70 and over. Among people aged 15-29, suicide was the second-leading cause of death after traffic accidents. Almost twice as many men committed suicide as women.
- See more at: http://newsonjapan.com/html/newsdesk/article/109373.php#sthash.MenOnlei.dpuf


2 school girls jump to death from Tokyo apartment building

National Sep. 06, 2014 - 03:30PM JST ( 1 )

TOKYO —

Two elementary school girls, aged 11 and 12, apparently jumped to their deaths from an apartment building in Tokyo’s Ota Ward, police said Saturday.

According to police, the girls—who were classmates—were found dead in the asphalt parking lot near the entrance to the building at around 3:30 p.m. Friday, TBS reported.

The building is nine stories high. Police said the girls appear to have jumped from the stairwell between the 7th and 8th floors. TBS quoted police as saying the girls’ shoes and a suicide note were left at the scene but declined to give details about what the note said.

Police said the 11-year-old girl lived with her family in the apartment building, while her 12-year-old classmate lived nearby.

A school official told media that he was unaware of any bullying incidents involving the girls who were both at school on Friday.

http://www.japantoday.com/category/national/view/2-school-girls-jump-to-death-from-tokyo-apartment-building

http://mainichi.jp/english/english/newsselect/news/20140906p2g00m0dm060000c.htmld

Record high for youth suicide in Japan (from 2010)
The number of students who committed suicide last year in the country hit a record figure of 1,029, up 101 cases or 10.9 per cent from the previous year, the National Police Agency said Friday.

It was the first time that the number exceeded 1,000 since the NPA started recording statistics in 1978.

The NPA also reported the total number of suicides across the nation has exceeded 30,000 for 14 consecutive years up to 2011, though the number declined by 1,039, or 3.3 per cent, to 30,651 from the previous year.

Of the students, the number of university students who killed themselves rose by 16 to 529 from the previous year while the number of high school students who did so increased by 65 to 269, according to the NPA. The combined figures accounted for about 80 per cent of the total number of students who committed suicide.

By age group, the number of people 19 or younger who committed suicide rose by 12.7 per cent to 622 from the previous year, and the figure for those in their 20s increased by 2 per cent to 3,302.
- See more at: http://news.asiaone.com/News/AsiaOne+News/Asia/Story/A1Story20120310-332649.html#sthash.4TjmLYbP.dpuf

more: http://thediplomat.com/2013/01/searching-for-answers-japans-suicide-epidemic/

[davidpdx]

1. Not surprised that Japan and Korea are at the top of the list

There was a case of someone jumping from a building here in Korea and the person hit another person who was walking below them. Two lives gone in the blink of an eye. Very sad.

[yuiyoshida]

2. Its no wonder this song was very popular...

Dive to Blue

Lyrcis in English: http://www.animelyrics.com/jpop/larcenciel/divetoblue.
The original video was about a man leaping to his death from a very tall executive tower. People witness him on his way down, many without even shock on their faces, as though they have seen it so many times before.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

3. they have literally been working themselves to death (the japanese)

[yuiyoshida]

6. There is a term for that...Karoshi

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kar%C5%8Dshi

[cwydro]

4. There is a forest in Japan which is known for suicides.

Horrible. I came upon it accidentally some time ago. Cannot remember the name, and I don't want to.

[yuiyoshida]

5. Its at the foot of Mount Fuji

I saw a documentary on it, not long ago.

[cwydro]

10. I've forgotten the name. On purpose, no doubt,

It was actually in my Backpacker or some wilderness mag or I never would have clicked.

Horrible, and I hate when I do that. Yeah, I think there was a documentary...probably that's what I read.

[yuiyoshida]

12. Aokigahara

***Viewer discretion advised***

[X_Digger]

7. I wonder if Japan still counts a father killing his wife and two kids, then himself as four suicides

Or if some police departments still rule as suicide when they can't immediately arrest someone (anyone!) for a murder.

[yuiyoshida]

8. I am sure those are considered as they are here in the States

Murder -suicides.

[X_Digger]

9. I'll look it up, but there were some incredibly dubious "suicides"..

Like a guy tied up, knife in the back, thrown-- excuse me.. JUMPED from a bridge.. suicide.

[yuiyoshida]

11. What I was focusing on were suicides... especially those by those

two young girls of 11 and 12 leaping to their deaths. How can an 11 year old even think of such a thing, or a 12 year old??. Its horrible. I feel for their families and those left behind who knew them.

[X_Digger]

13. No doubt. n/t

[cwydro]

14. I knew exactly what you were saying.

And no doubt that is why I was reminded of that forest.

I did not link back to it again. It physically sickened me. So I understand what you're saying.

Seems a strange trend there? Or what? I don't know a lot about Japan, but I have had Japanese friends. Obviously, this is not something I would bring up with anyone I know. I've never brought up that horrible forest thing with anyone since the day I saw it. Maybe it was the NYTimes magazine...honestly cannot imagine how I learned this.

But your post reminded me. Why? Why do you think this is happening?

I have personal knowledge of suicide, and it makes me very uneasy...unhappy, confused...not enough words actually.

[yuiyoshida]

15. What sickens me the most are the idea that two

young girls 11 and 12 could even consider the thought of leaping together to their death from a 7th or 8th floor level. Who taught them to place their shoes neatly where they jumped? I wonder what was in their note, they left behind? Were they bullied? Why was LIFE SO unbearable that they could not get help, where were their parents? Where were their friends?

I had a friend tell me, she lived in Japan for a while, during her high school years. She told me she had considered jumping to her death, if her parents did not return her to the USA to finish school. She said the kids were so far advanced, that she felt blame for keeping her classmates back, despite the fact, there had been no blame, directed at her. The pressure of school there was so intense that to her leaving Japan or death were her only alternatives.

School there is a totally different mind set there. I have read about musicians who were juniors in high school, actually cutting an album, they were so good, and yet, after high school graduation, giving up the music business, because their parents said there was no future in it. How Corporations like SONY, or Toyota would come to the school scouting for future employees. (Here in the USA its a College scouting for athletes.)

There is a drive there to be the best one can be, and the pressure to go along with it. Most of the suicides in Japan are either elderly or high school kids. One has to ask, why is that? If someone makes a major mistake that effects a lot of people, they maybe re-assigned or given a job way below their performance level, but they can live with that..

In High School, the idea of failure .. is one that students would rather not have to contemplate, and some have simply gone to the roofs at school and leaped to their deaths. Too many have. Its something Japan has been trying to remedy... for a long, long time, and yet here it is in the headlines again.

[cwydro]

16. I've read that.

About the incredible pressure.

I've heard it's the same in China and in South Korea.

We have no idea what is happening in North Korea...and probably an infinitesimal idea of what is happening in China.

Why? That's a great question.

[yuiyoshida]

17. There is a saying in Japan....

deru kugi ha utareru – ‘the nail that sticks out gets hammered down’.

http://asiancorrespondent.com/86005/the-nail-that-sticks-out-gets-hammered-down-bullying-in-japan/

[cwydro]

19. Same saying elsewhere -

Google " the tall poppy"

[yuiyoshida]

20. tall poppy mentioned in the link

heh!

[smirkymonkey]

18. Suicide is always horrible, but hearing about the 11 and 12 year olds was completely shocking

and tragic. I don't understand what could drive such young children to do such a thing. I had a pretty abusive and stressful (due to having to be number 1 at everything) upbringing, but I never seriously contemplated killing myself at that age.

[Art_from_Ark]

21. My first guess would be that maybe their parents (mothers)

were pushing them too hard to succeed in school.

A second guess would be bullying.

A third guess would be an unbearable home life.

[yuiyoshida]

22. I hope this is not a thing that happens often, Art....

I just read about a suicide hot line be installed in the area where the Tsunami hit..there are still people there taking their lives over their destroyed property. Sad...very sad.

[Art_from_Ark]

23. I have known a lot of so-called "kyoiku mamas"

who are really gung-ho about their kids's education. Sometimes they can push their kids too far.

As for the tsunami areas, I was talking to a woman the other night about doing volunteer work in one of the hardest-hit places, Ishinomaki City in Miyagi Prefecture. She said a lot of people have given up hope of going back to their former homes and have either relocated permanently or... And the people who remain are still struggling to cope with the disaster, 3 1/2 years later.