High school boy commits suicide in Saitama park after argument with father

not bullied by anyone but his father from the sounds of it

How would the principal know whether the boy was bullied or not? If he knew this pupil wasn't bullied, then it follows that he must know which pupils are, in which case, bullying goes on in his school with his consent.

and that he was not bullied

No child is ever bullied in Japan. If he was bullied, the finger of blame would point to the school.

It's a pity this boy couldn't realize that his father (perhaps, pure speculation on my part) loved him enough to want him to be more assertive but didn't want him dead. We'll have to wait for more aggressive reporting to find out the reasons behind this tragedy.

What a tragedy! When will Japanese realize suicide is NOT the answer to life's problems and there is NO HONOR in killing oneself!

Spend some of the 2 trillion yen to build a social infrastructure that includes social welfare programs addressing suicide!

Or ... stay a 3rd world country ... make a choice Japan!

and that he was not bullied.

Good job at covering your a$$ Mr. Principal.

S

and that he was not bullied.

I have a problem with what people associate with bullying in Japan. In what is seen as playing a practical joke on one student, for example hiding their beloved shoes, is tainted under this phrase the media like to call 'bullying' or 'ijime' as it is known here. Hardly bullying really, more likely the kids are weak and have no bottle. I'd say a high percentage of the kids in this country wouldn't last two days in a western style upbringing where it is common place to find yourself involved in daily fracas with the 'so called' bullies. As for the kids father in this story, if he is going to work his socks of to provide for his son, I would expect him to pull his weight too. Obviously not in todays society, where some youths expect everything to be handed to them on a silver spoon!!

People who are quiet and keep a low profile are just as important as those who are active and assertive but his father did not understand that. When a boy is unable to live up to his father's expectations, it can lead to misery. Cause -> effect ... all events are conditioned by other events.

Tragedy born out of ignorance is the continuing story of the human race.

Having some b---s and being assertive is a requirement in some moments of life. It doesn't pay to be pushed around. Unfortunately, it seemed like Dad thought he could change that part of his son just by nagging. He should have done something practical to reinforce the boy's low confidence. Subtlety was called for, not direct criticism of a person's core.

He should have joined a kendo club with his boy and made sure by hook or by crook they went together every Saturday, or something. Emphasise growing stronger together, that Dad isn't perfect either. This way he basically said to his son that he's a failure of character.

Such a tragedy when from the sounds of things he was physically healthy.

Also, very salient point, Notginger...

he showed his dad!

That is a pretty assertive response. The father probably feels like shxt (if he feels anything at all).

where are the usual loons posting "Japan's suicide problem is due to a lack of faith, Christ would have given them a reason to live etc etc"? poor kid, poor parents too.

I'd say a high percentage of the kids in this country wouldn't last two days in a western style upbringing where it is common place to find yourself involved in daily fracas with the 'so called' bullies. As for the kids father in this story, if he is going to work his socks of to provide for his son, I would expect him to pull his weight too.

Where is this "bottle" supposed to come from? Are these kids, raised in this society, just supposed to pull this confidence out of thin air? After (what can reasonably be presumed) 17 years of a reinforcing environment?

There are way too many parents who think parenting is keeping the kid clothed, fed, and lectured...and that they'll somehow learn everything else from osmosis. Giving the kid a lecture is a nice enough gesture, I guess, in terms of intent, but singularly useless. People, especially kids, learn by doing, not by absorbing lectures. I agree with the above poster in that the father should have enrolled him in kendo classes, or SOMEthing. Speech is not action, and instructions are not education.

Obviously not in todays society, where some youths expect everything to be handed to them on a silver spoon!!

If they do, it's because they were raised that way. Behavior doesn't just come out of thin air.

I see your point, but really, everything you said boils down to "why doesn't this problem just fix itself?" Or, perhaps less charitably, a formless complaint with no real point. Seriously, what do you propose, beyond some vague "make them tougher" agenda?

"Stop bad stuff! Start good stuff! THAT'LL fix everything!"

good points guys. I had many days at 17 and the old man was a jerk at times. I honestly belive 90% of the Japanese woudnt last a few days in any other country. They have a comfort zone and despite losing a war, they are now babied, and when it gets rough at school or home they take it to the end... 100 suicides a day, jesus. After all these years I find the Japanese somewhat weak. When they win or lose hence the Olympics they cry and if you hid their cell phone they would become unstable. Anyway RIP laddie, its a society problem. My vote is sling the SDF and start building a country who can handle a lashing and sort their own National issues out with an armed force. Within reason and watching them do it as they were sneaky back then. Build morale and it may slow down the sudden deaths. I swear on my kid's life after reading Embracing Defeat you truly dont understand this country unless you know their history into now. A shocker when you think about the 18 or 19 US military guys in a country where 20 is the legal adult age. At 17 I had no phone or Internet but drove a car, worked part-time, school and I was constantly scolded in a cool nice way, to simply learn... I am truly different... an alien a gaijin.

The part that bothers me about this story is a passerby saw the kid hanging from a strap, called the cops and stood around waiting. You'd think somebody would at least try and help the kid out, he might have still been alive.

He showed his father that he was much stronger than daddy thought. Takes guts to kill yourself.

Bullied by his dad.... unbelievable.

What a tragedy that this young man never appeared to have anyone he felt he could talk to about the problems that were obviously building up within him. I would hope that people from all societies realized the vital importance of psychological heath, and how it might be even more important than physical health.

I feel very sorry for his parents.

After reading a 2 paragraph article on a young boy's suicide, there's alot of quick judgment spilling out in the comment section here.

The father told police he scolded his son for being too passive and meek and that he should be more active and assertive.

Yeah.. it didn't work now did it? He's got to live with it now.

He showed his father that he was much stronger than daddy thought. Takes guts to kill yourself.

I disagree Yeinats it takes more strenght to live that is why the strong survives and that which don't kill you makes you stronger. Dying is easy something that you can do at any time in your life. If you live 24-48 longer then you planned then you will see what you would have missed by dying.

It was assertive of the boy, but i would do something else to piss my father of instead of killing myself. R.I.P.

I wonder if he was informing his dad of a bullying problem and his paps told him to get tough with whoever they were and deal with it. But if he was shy, felt helpless, lacked confidence, couldnt defend himself, and received no help from anyone, he might have given up and felt suicide to be the only other option. Nothing new. If there was a bullying problem Im sure the Principal/school/BOE did or would have done nothing about it.

i remember those days when i was 15yrs at boarding high school.i endured several kinds of bullying from seniors.putting me in a locker sometimes for been traunt but yet i did not commit suicide.as somebody said above"these kids cant live a second outside Japan".cos been a gaijin makes you strong.i think they should employ more foreign teachers into their educational system.maybe,suicides might reduce.

High school boy commits suicide in Saitama park after argument with father

That. Settles. That.

he scolded his son for being too passive and meek and that he should be more active and assertive.

That is so typically Japanese! I can just imagine how it went down. When all else fails use character assassination to belittle your teenage boy. That will work, NOT! If you wanna know about teenage suicide in Japan just look at the idiot parents.

Why does the Japanese media report suicides? I don't know of any other country in the world where you get straightforward suicides reported on national websites, TV stations, etc. It's just not news.

Sad to see him go but all his dad was doing is giving him the tools to survive out there. Too bad he took it the other way by offing himself.

Well the father was onto something, this kid obviously was weak. If your reaction to an argument with your father is to hang yourself you aren't strong enough to make it in our ruthless world. RIP son, you should have stuck around a little longer to see if maybe life was worth living.

Why does the Japanese media report suicides? I don't know of any other country in the world where you get straightforward suicides reported on national websites, TV stations, etc. It's just not news.

it's happening on a scale here that most other '1st world countries' can't comprehend. outside of the eastern bloc Japanese are the leaders in offing themselves, 100 a day and rising. obviously the Japanese media don't report them all...they would need a daily 2 or 3 page spread. some cases however get plucked out by JT just to let us know they are still doing it and as a warning not to scold any Japanese too harshly in case they take it the very wrong way

Sounds like he was being bullied by his dad... But wow that is one weak argument for killing yourself. I almost feel that his dad did it and we are looking at a possible murder and not a suicide.

That's so sad. What a tragedy, really! I feel bad for his parents, too! It does not sound like he was being bullied by his dad. He was reported to be quiet. Probably wasn't the most social person ever, but his dad isn't a bully.

You know, it's easy to criticize what you don't comprehend. Not that suicide is correct or should be endorsed, but there is cultural history for this. For you small minded people, simply was the Last Samurai. There is a scene where a "prisoner of war" was beheaded. Another scene where one commits suicide (Seppuki or Harakiri). Bottom line, there is history to this suicide. This doesn't explain the current reasons for suicide - much, I feel, has to do with copy-catting what others do.

NOW, before you all start criticizing again - why dont you explain why so many depressed kids start abusing drugs and alcohol? Is that really any better than suicide?

YES because they are alive and there is hope - but not before my tax dollars go to waste to put that idiot in jail, rehab, expensive trials, state/city appointed lawyers, hospital bills and loss-of-life (when that idiot drunk slams into my family member)etc etc etc.

Same crap (suicide and drug abuse by jacked-up-teen) - different ways of "expressing themselves".

Even though hindsight is 20-20 and everyone has an opinion, people are still not perfect. Yeah there is a tradition of suicide in Japan, but who knows what was wrong with that kid. There are seemingly perfect kids who commit suicide in western countries.

But to relate a story, I knew this girl whose boyfriend threatened to commit suicide if she left him. Well, she left and he killed himself. As she was crying her eyes out, she said he knew he could hurt her and he did. Other than revenge, who knows what influenced this guy’s decision.