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  bamboohat at 01:23 PM JST - 13th July

  Well, if DNA is linked to suicide, and Japanese people kill themselves more than others, doesn't that kind of suggest an inherent inferiority of the Japanese race?

  On the other hand, blaming in on DNA is another way for his fool to shrug off any responsibility of society, government, schools, working conditions, etc. Blame the victim.

  And for those of you who posted links to scientific journals, you think this buffoon actually read any of those and considered them before putting his foot in his mouth?

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  WMD at 01:23 PM JST - 13th July

  rofea A fine, well written to the point post! In japan if you are employed, you are worked to death. If you are unemployed, especially if over 35, you are as good as dead anyway. No wonder the suicide rate is so high here.

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  BAYANI98 at 01:47 PM JST - 13th July

  "Only the sheep (lower levels)in the olden days performed seppuku. It later became romanticized and propagated when they marketed the Code of the Bushido to the masses. They needed something to keep everyone in order. Most of the higher ups didn't commit suicide. Usually dishonored samurai would just flee.

  Unfortunately, the majority who weren't samurai just believe it was like that all the time even til this day."

  And how would you know , you're not even a native , you're just a foreigner , and you act like you better than the actual Japanese

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  notimpressed at 01:56 PM JST - 13th July

  while its fun for armchair psychologists to play at debunking a theory, perhaps if this proves to be true, then efforts can be made to halp thsoe at risk. By encouraging research into the matter, a different cause may be found, or one may be discounted and crossed off the list. If it is a contributing factor its not smart to discount it if you don't know any better. and CONTRIBUTING factors, like those many here have listed are not the sole reason either. At least this guy is shouwing some concern for it, its a good sign that someone at an influential level of society is acknowledging a problem publicy, when few others in Japan dare to broach the subject.

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  realist at 02:17 PM JST - 13th July

  DNA my Aso as well. Seldom have I read such garbage in the news as this one. Hatoyama needs to get a life. The sooner he is out of office, the better for Japan.

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  LFRAgain at 03:07 PM JST - 13th July

  Yes to everything notimpressed pointed out.

  No one's saying that DNA is all there is to the problem - well, maybe Hatoyama is, because he's an idiot like that.

  But to flat out write off the genetic component as bunk when there are at least three distinguished studies showing evidence to the contrary is, well, not very smart.

  If anything, recognizing the possible genetic link to suicide will give Japan (and other societies) another tool in combating a very serious problem, beyond just telling people to "gambaru."

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  moonbeams at 03:20 PM JST - 13th July

  Do we have a genetic predesposition to commit suicide?

  I don't think so. I had a friend who's father committed suicide. One day, high on coke, he wrote "I miss my Dad" on his wall with his own blood and killed himself. I don't think he was genetically driven to his end. I do think that his father's suicide left a deep hole in his heart, and it was something he thought about everyday of his life until it consumed him and he chose the same thing whilst high on drugs.

  If a loved one, especially a parent kills themselves, it leaves the survivors to ask "why?" every minute of their lives, always in pain. Saying DNA, as other posters pointed out, is an easy way for government officials to avoid the real issues, that their policies make it IMPOSSIBLE for some people to survive in this society. Under such pressure as having to pay taxes, rent and by food, yet not having the income to do so, and no escape as moving itself costs a fortune in Japan, most people would become depressed. No money for the things you need means no money for social activities. So you become lonely. Lonely, hungry, depressed, malnurished. A malnurished body equals a malnurished mind which equals a malnurished heart. Food is super important. There are no enzymes in instant noodles and other such cheap foods. Nourishing fruits and fish a way to expensive. Anyway, so people under incredible financial stress are also eating junk.. this is a deadly combination itself. Factor in a parent who committed suicide which equals 24/7 doubt about life as parents function as our role models, and bam, a dangerous combination. But a combination with financial origins that stem from government policies. Rather than take the responsibility for this, the government suggests that suicide is genetic.

  That's disgusting.

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  Gaijinocchio at 03:48 PM JST - 13th July

  moonbeams: I agree that it's a scapegoat excuse for the government to squeeze by without addressing (read: pay for) the real social problem. If certain DNA affects suicide, then will everyone ignore those in need who don't have the suicide DNA?

  Anyways, if there really is a suicide DNA, it would take the interaction of their genetic disposition and their environment to influence the urge to kill yourself. I take these "proven" links everyone's provided with a grain of salt. Again, if you believe their research, you should believe that that DNA combo would have been long gone since those who have it are more likely to die and take their children with them. Survival of the Fittest right?

  So, people with the suicide DNA are doomed right? Even with a happy life and loving family, one day they'll just randomly off themselves right? People without the suicide gene will still kill themselves, people with the suicide gene still won't. Are taxpayers paying for crap research instead of proven methods and systems of prevention? Innocent lives are at stake here, so THINK

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  LFRAgain at 03:48 PM JST - 13th July

  Moonbeams,

  Two things.

  One: The government didn't suggest that suicide is genetic. Former (he quit) internal affairs minister Kunio Hatoyama did.

  Two: As geninuely tragic your story is about your friend committing suicide after his father did, umm. . . what was it Hatoyama said: " . . . there have been a number of cases in which a parent and child have committed suicide in succession . . . "

  Not to belittle the honest tragedy of your friend's death, but with regard to the possible genetic component of suicide, the father then then son? Probably not the best example to present for you argument.

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  notimpressed at 04:09 PM JST - 13th July

  What every one seems to be missing at the moment (other than LFRA and myself It seems), is that IF there is a genetic marker for this type of behaviour, that it shouldnt be ignored, EVERY COntributing factor needs to be addressed. No one is discounting those other reasons that people commit suicide, what do you take people for? Those have and always will be major reasons people commit suicide.Its a no brainer. But if there is something there that makes one person cope less than the next due to his DNA having a blip in it, then why ignore that too? If those reasons you guys are listing were the ONLY reasons people committed suicide...well I wouldn't be sitting here typing this today. The differrence is that anytime I have been at rock bottom in the past, I immediately discounted the option of suicide in my mind as I believe in not giving in to despair, and in getting back up no matter how hard I get knocked down. But hey, Some people just don't bounce back, and spiral out of control into a pit of despair, then kill themselves to escape it? Seems like a fail in logic there somewhere.If you are dead, you really can't improve your lot. Ever heard of animals killing themselves because they were hungy or sad? Surely its something to do with the wiring in our brain, if we think death is a solution to any problem.

  I would hate to be proved wrong If I told everyone to ignore some research that was correct.

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  medievaltimes at 11:02 PM JST - 13th July

  I guess Im in the minority but I dont think what he said is a big deal.

  Mental illness (depression, bi-polar etc.) does run in families, meaning there is a genetic component to it. We derive directly from our mothers and fathers DNA.

  Nature vs. nurture....to me, its a bit of both.

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  Simon_Foston at 11:22 PM JST - 13th July

  Whatever facts and theories there might be regarding this issue, I think they're for experts to comment on, not imbeciles like Kunio Hatoyama.

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  realist at 02:14 PM JST - 14th July

  I wouldnt like to have a dose of the imbecilic DNA that Hatoyama is in possession of!

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  sf2k at 09:15 AM JST - 15th July

  So let me get this straight.. the suicide rate is high in Japan and with such a low foreigner residence level thus Japanese have this type of DNA Hatoyama is talking about? Except that Japanese in other countries with the same DNA don't commit suicide anywhere close to the same levels. So that's where your theory falls to the ground...

  Why do people think they can make up science? Science itself is quite interesting. But it takes work, logic, and time

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  moonbeams at 10:00 AM JST - 15th July

  I wouldnt like to have a dose of the imbecilic DNA that Hatoyama is in possession of!

  Um.. that SAME DNA is posed to succeed Aso soon. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukio_Hatoyama

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