Suicides in Japan inch down in 2008 but remain above 30,000

Thursday 02nd April, 10:43 AM JST

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roomtemperature at 12:14 PM JST - 2nd April

archiebald, totally agree. At least you're a poster with an objective view without making silly remarks about delayed trains for example.
Tahoochi at 12:23 PM JST - 2nd April

Hate to see kids doing it.
soldave at 12:37 PM JST - 2nd April

So should we not be saddened when it happens to someone as it's acceptable. The "shoganai" attitude is probably what has caused it to get so high in the first place.
30061015 at 12:41 PM JST - 2nd April

MY GOD Japan is a depressed country! Lighten up!! Loosen up Japan !!! No one really smiles or laughs...especially the men.God only know what lurks behind all the tatemae behavior. This maybe why men kill themselves 2:1 to women. There is no stress relief accept drinking and pachinko for men. Women at least get together and talk it out. We all go through unbearable moments in life. No one is immune, so no one can afford to be indifferent. Friendship, understanding and empathy can save life.
sageb1 at 02:50 PM JST - 2nd April

Suicide is never acceptable. If you need help, there are resources available even if it consists of going to a local Buddhist temple. Or, one could get involved in a community organization.
techall at 02:55 PM JST - 2nd April

I've said it before, I'll say it again. Suicide is a permenent solution to a temporary problem!
dennis0bauer at 03:41 PM JST - 2nd April

wait a minute winter is almost gone in Japan, wait until they start going up the mountain again, then the amount will rise again -__-
rajakumar at 05:14 PM JST - 2nd April

Suicides should be reduced in japan.

People in japan need to turn,towards building a suicide free society. The Human being is pure spirit,they cannot find lasting happiness in material things.

If we are very elated with family/boyfriend/girlfriend joy,it is only temporal happiness.

Turning away from God,causes all our woes. We need to develop spiritual life, to move towards more permananet joys. The soul cannot be nourished by anything material or any temporal joys.

We need to cultivate a deeper consciousness in spiritual life, find lasting joys via them.

Phobias,anxieties,fears and other worries can heal via spiritual life,which is frustrations free.

Idea of ownership of temporal things in this world is false ownership,ultimately everything is owned by God.

We think ownership will make us happy,it will not,in this temporal ownership world we live in.

Turning away from God and spiritual life is cause of many of our woes. People need to get spiritual help to prevent suicidal causes.

We need to get people to be more free from all forms of attachments. We have to ask right questions. What part of our body is me? What is beyond death? The soul never dies,the human soul has higher awareness abilities of no limts.

Imagine we are Iceberg. If warm current comes,the Iceberg melts.

Spirtual life is the warm current that melts our iceberg body,and bring us to highest awareness of the human soul.

Turning away from God,causes all these suicide woes. The soul cannot be nourished by material world.

Lasting joy is spiritual joy. Spiritual joy,increases moment by moment. Remove ignorance in people,we can overcome suicidal woes in japan.
rajakumar at 05:23 PM JST - 2nd April

correction-Turning away from God and lack of spiritual life is cause of many of our woes.

limts should be limits.
Kwaabish at 06:20 PM JST - 2nd April

Now what kind of figures would there be if these people, rather than just going on the suicide route, decided rather to go postal and did murder-suicides?

Even then, if they were going to take their life, I'd prefer them not using the "jump into the train" method... so messy and affects so many other people....
browny1 at 09:00 PM JST - 2nd April

Achiebald - that's classic. Gotta print and frame that one.

"Suicide doesn't carry the stigma it does in the west" is soooo off beam that you've been reading too many bushido books or have NEVER had a friend here in japan toff himself.

Reality check - devastation abounds. Mottainai, Mottainai - what a waste. Those words were echoed by many when my friend decided the pressure was too great or life's value was not precious or....whatever.

Don't ever think suicide here is acceptable. It destroys families and communities. In too many cases it's a failing to come to grips with minor fallibilities which we all encounter from time to time.

And far from Japan bashing, it is extremely pertinent to note that the tragic rate of self-offing in Japan IS a reflection of serious shortcomings in the social makeup. There are big problems here no two ways about and it does a dissevice to those working in the field to blurt out the "it's acceptable in japan" line - wince, wince.
sharky1 at 02:17 AM JST - 3rd April

Suicide is suicide, no matter where you are. Depression is at the core of suicides in any country. It is not a "method of redeeming one's self" as another poster had mentioned. This article is pointless, because recent statistics show that suicide is on the rise in Japan again. The public needs to be educated about the stages of suicide. Stage 1 is thoughts of suicide. Stage 2 is expressing thoughts of suicide. Phase 3 is creating a plan for suicide, and phase 4 is the attempt or act of suicide. If you are in any one of these phases, you should seek professional help. Likewise, if you know of someone in one of these phases, don't leave the person alone, and seek professional help.
medievaltimes at 11:19 AM JST - 3rd April

I hate it when western people comment on Japanese suicide rates and try to point the finger at a failing Japanese society.

Well let's see.....I'm going to take a huge leap of faith and say that the Japanese suicide rate in fact isn't related to the Canadien's social welfare system, America's labor laws, Italian's education system or Australian's pharmacology.
Disillusioned at 12:41 PM JST - 3rd April

archiebald - Suicide in Japan does not carry the stigma that it does in the west - its as simple as that. It always has and is still seen as an acceptable way of redeeming oneself. I won't say it has nothing to do with pressures of life, but it is nowhere near related as some people would like to believe.

So, that makes it alright then, doesn't it? You should tell that to the 16y/o daughter of one of my wife's friends that offed herself last year. I'm sure that little intellectual insight will make her feel much better.
LostinNagoya at 01:01 PM JST - 3rd April

Archiebald comment is pathetic, in the same line as Aso´s that Japanese view of death is unique to Japan. So, when we hear that a Japanese co-worker killed himself we should just say ¨that´s the way it is¨ and cry and fell sad if he was a foreigner? I really don´t understand this...