FUKUOKA —

Former House of Representatives member Hisayasu Nagata, who resigned as a parliamentarian in April 2006 after using a fake email message to grill a ruling party lawmaker, jumped to his death from an apartment building in an apparent suicide in Kitakyushu, Fukuoka Prefecture, on Saturday. Nagata, 39, had left a note to his family and an empty 1.8-liter pack of ‘‘shochu’’ distilled spirit on a staircase landing between the 10th and 11th floors of the building, according to local police.
   
A resident called police at around 6:30 p.m. Saturday after finding Nagata collapsed in the apartment’s parking lot, and his death was confirmed shortly past 7 p.m. at a hospital where he was taken. Nagata had recently been released from a hospital after a suicide attempt in November.
   
In February 2006, Nagata, who was then a lawmaker of the main opposition Democratic Party of Japan, claimed on the basis of the email message that Takafumi Horie, founder of Internet firm Livedoor Co, had ordered a subordinate to pay 30 million yen to ruling Liberal Democratic Party heavyweight Tsutomu Takebe’s son before the 2005 general election, in which Horie ran unsuccessfully.
   
But the message was later found to have been fabricated, and Nagata submitted his resignation in April 2006 to take responsibility for disrupting parliamentary business by using the fake message to attack Takebe during a lower house Budget Committee session.
   
Nagata attempted to commit suicide in November last year while convalescing in Munakata, Fukuoka Prefecture.
   
A University of Tokyo graduate and former Finance Ministry bureaucrat, he had been elected three times to the lower house since 2000.

© 2008 Kyodo News. All rights reserved. No reproduction or republication without written permission.

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Latest 15 of 24 Total Comments Show All

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  some14some at 07:59 PM JST - 4th January

  RIP, this death count will appear in suicide statistic for the year 2009 :(

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  japantodayradio_com at 08:02 PM JST - 4th January

  How can an e-mail be fake ?

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  buddha4brains at 08:14 PM JST - 4th January

  I agree with bobbafett that he lost face and never recovered. That email mistake almost destroyed a party which virtually guarrenteed isolation from his peers. I can easily imagine the loss of face was buttressed against some good ol' fashioned ijime.

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  Speed at 08:37 PM JST - 4th January

  I stand by what I wrote. Recently, a large number of people in power (politicians, teachers, etc.) giving the youth of this society the idea that it's okay to just off yourself when something goes wrong is something I disagree with.

  If this man had poisoned people and or caused death, I can understand him committing suicide, but he lost his position as a government minister for defamation with a false email account and causing embarrassment to his political party - that is all.

  I don't want my child (nor any youngster) growing up thinking that suicidal behavior is an acceptable response (in my opinion) to his moderate hardship.

  I really feel that the men of Japan are getting weaker emotionally and have lost a lot of the backbone that the prior generation used to have.

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  samsarks at 09:51 PM JST - 4th January

  speed-i cant agree with you more on this.people have lost sense of responsibility in japan.what will happen if japanese were poor n could nt afford 3 square neals a day.he is a disgrace to society especially the university he graduated from.to hell you go.---sayonara

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  GG2141 at 10:47 PM JST - 4th January

  Ah, the good old 1.8l bottle of shochu, it holds the answers to most of lifes' questions.

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  lordomni at 01:11 AM JST - 5th January

  Eh, I wonder if he was indeed responsible.

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  gamera at 03:27 AM JST - 5th January

  I love Fukuoka...then crazy stuff like this happens.

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  8iamhappy8 at 06:34 AM JST - 5th January

  It seems to me that not just for the Japanese, but most Asians in general, saving face is more important.

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  buddha4brains at 07:35 AM JST - 5th January

  It seems to me that not just for the Japanese, but most Asians in general, saving face is more important.

  Nah, in the West we call it passing the buck.

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  shiuu at 08:57 AM JST - 5th January

  That. Settles. That.

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  roppongidaisuki at 12:57 PM JST - 5th January

  This is beyond belief really.Rich,well educated,relatively good looking(my g-friends thoughts not mine!)No gratitude.No love for his family or friends.If in fact he really jumped...... I am with bobbafett who suspects foul play.What happened the first time in November? Did he land in a tree or something? I am usuallly flying(sorry bad choice of words) after my first 1.8.Its not till the next day that I feel like shit. Something wrong about all this

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  spudman at 05:08 PM JST - 5th January

  what a waste of an education. Yakuza conspiracies be gone. The guy was trying to top himself and it was a case of try and try again. 30,000 a year and even the leaders of he nation use it as a way out. Odd that Asians see no shame in a suicide.

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  usaexpat at 12:06 AM JST - 6th January

  I agree with others that Nagata lost face and lost his power, influence and job leaving him...... apparently not enough to see living as valuable.

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  telecasterplayer at 03:30 AM JST - 6th January

  Nagata attempted to commit suicide in November last year while convalescing in Munakata, Fukuoka Prefecture.

  "convalescing" from what? he attempted suicide while "convalescing"? So, is there some sort of medical issue in here? "End of career at a young age", plus "unnamed medical issue" equals "the h*ll with this"?

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