JR installs anti-suicide lighting on platforms

Monday 21st September, 06:37 AM JST

TOKYO —

East Japan Railway (JR East) is installing blue mood-lighting in its stations in a bid to stop people committing suicide on the tracks of a busy Tokyo line. The blue LED ceiling lamps have already been fitted at seven stations of the Yamanote line, which is used by millions a day, and will be fixed at all 29 stops by late October, a JR East spokesman said.

“Blue is said to make people’s minds more serene. The blue lighting is in part an effort to prevent suicides, while it is also aimed at reducing misdemeanors such as graffiti and littering,” he said.

In the first half of the year, police recorded 17,076 suicides, up 768 or 4.7% from the same period last year, according to the National Police Agency, which said one third of suicides were linked to financial problems. Sixty-eight people committed suicide at stations operated by JR East in the year to March, up from 58 the year before and 42 in 2006.

News reports

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Latest 15 of 69 Total Comments Show All

Noliving at 06:42 AM JST - 22nd September

They should play pearl jams cover "last kiss", I'm sure that will deter people from killing themselves :P
Makun at 07:58 AM JST - 22nd September

Factual information aside, I feel this is one of those "Use more effort to avoid the problem, than actually deal with it" instances. I mean, can you imagine the daily routine of waiting for the train, and seeing those blue lights every morning, and knowing their purpose? It simply reminds people suicide is always an option. "Mommy, what are those blue lights for?" "So mommy doesn't kill herself honey"
Badge213 at 05:04 PM JST - 22nd September

Before I fall over laughing, what "social services" would you like a railway operator to provide? So your question is two parts what should the government do rather then the railway operator.

Then again if you look at the numbers, millions upon millions of travelers a day, the number of "human related accidents" is quite low.
dolphingirl at 08:16 PM JST - 22nd September

Makun: I agree with what you're saying. Whether these blue lights are effective or not is not the issue. People are still avoiding the root cause of the problem and the other societal factors. The question should be 'Why are there so many suicides in Japan?' and how can we prevent them BEFORE it gets to the point where the person is standing on a platform about to end their life.
Disillusioned at 08:32 PM JST - 22nd September

Come into the light! Do they actually believe this will have any effect?
usaexpat at 11:03 PM JST - 22nd September

"I'm gonna do it, you'll all be sorry when I'm gone. Oh, look at the pretty blue light suddenly I feel much more serene" FAIL Who came up with this plan and how much did it cost? A blue light is not going to stop anyone bent on offing themselves.
Blue_Tiger at 11:44 PM JST - 22nd September

So long as the Japanese Government and Media continues with fear mongering and showing people thatthere really is no hope for anything, suicides will continue. So long as parents fail to be so in this country to their children, suicides will be the norm. So long as companies and employers continue to demand so much from their workers with so little in return, suicide will always be seen as the way out. So long as Japan's society worships death, so will life continue to look like the drudgery it really isn't...
bcbrownboy at 06:34 AM JST - 23rd September

Now, how about eliminating all the screaming bells and screaming messages. That almost drives me to suicide. Compare the noisy stations here to nice quiet ones in other countries, where musicians play, and life seems much more serene. JR East, and the other railroads, treat the customers like babies, announcing: don't forget anything, take an umbrella it might rain, train coming, train going, etc. etc!!! Maybe if people are treated like responsible adults, they may act like it.
Tokto101 at 07:21 AM JST - 24th September

okay Nigelboy..you don't really know anything about Japan's Culture, in america even the color blue may mean despair, sadness, and depression. That doesn't mean it's meanings are universal. For example In America people wear white for weddings because it symbolizes purity, but in Japan and China white means death? Do you see now? I hope this clears up things! :)

Moderator: Back on topic please.
hannari at 01:48 PM JST - 24th September

I was watching a Japanese documentary a while back on blue lights. Was actually pretty interesting. It all came about because a country or city somewhere installed blue street lights, because the blue actually lets you see more details in the dark (I think the white lights made more contrast/shadows?)... and then they noticed a big drop in the crime rates and other negative stuff happening on those streets, and started a psychological study on them - revealing that it also reduces impulsive suicides. I'm sorry I have no references.

In any case, I think being open minded and doing something rather than nothing is a good thing.
dolphingirl at 03:01 PM JST - 24th September

hannari: Your use of the term 'impulsive' got me thinking...When I first thought of these blue lights to reduce suicide, I was skeptical. We generally think of suicide as something planned. But there are actually two types (just as there are categories for murder):

There's premeditated suicide in which case a person has been suffering depression or mental illness for a long time. And there's impulsive suicide in which a person experiences a sudden loss or some drastic stressor. In the former, blue-lights are not likely to be of any help but in the latter, these blue-lights could prove to be a preventative measure.
Cicada at 03:17 PM JST - 24th September

Blue_Tiger:

So long as the Japanese Government and Media continues with fear mongering and showing people that there really is no hope for anything, suicides will continue.

Good point. The government promotes suicide as a cost-saving measure. But JR would like people to kill themselves away from their tracks.

So long as companies and employers continue to demand so much from their workers with so little in return, suicide will always be seen as the way out.

Companies also benefit from suicides, as long as they are not held liable.
nipponreddog at 08:04 PM JST - 24th September

Let's not be so judgemental about those who choose to end it all. That is the fundamental right we all have before us. From JR's point of view, the only valid consideration is the inconvenience that inconsiderate suicide may cause the general public train ridership.
hanadecaka at 11:50 AM JST - 25th September

Japanese society is very much selfcentrist and selfish.No one help when needed and those people who are going to do sucide they have trouble no one help them, lightonly does not control.If light control why not develop in home and other places to install.Their main problem is job and stressess.Goverment just collect tax does not know how to provide job offer for people. Parlimnenatry does not know true sorrow of people they are born by ministry family.
Bazza at 06:37 PM JST - 26th September

How about telling a few cheery jokes over the tannoy just before peak suicide time every morning?

JR could even employ a few top names on suicide blackspot lines such as the Chuo.

It would be much better than the obvious and patronizing noise mentioned above, and would complement the electric bird song nicely.