Who cares? They're as odd to us as we are to them. Lets worry about our own social issues.

Andy, Chelts,

Bottom line: Suicide is usually about ending pain--pain every bit as intense as a heart attack--but invisible and much more prolongs. Suicide is also about despair--about the person seeing no end to a problem or pain.

It is usually preventable--but many people have no wish to prevent it--they, very ignorantly, place all the blame on the victim--in much the same way some people do a terrible wrong, and blame a rape victim for falling prey to a rapist. These people contribute to the problem by their willing ignorance.

Truth is, most suicide victims are NOT responsible for themselves. Mental illness is usually a m-e-d-i-c-a-l condition. What part of the word "illness" don't you people understand?

People who commit suicide are NOT thinking properly, they are NOT in control. So how can any sane and sensible and--most of all--compassionate human being, put the blame on the victim. Ignorant, that is the only (polite) word I can use to describe people who say this.

dusty, albany NY, USA

"Bad times don't last forever" as I always say.I should know after all the spots I have gotten myself into.

Dave Fiddes, Vancouver , Canada

"In 2001 railway stations in Japan introduced mirrors to deter suicide attempts by showing victims their own face before they jump."

Don't show me a mirror, that's why I'm jumping.

Bob S., London, UK

I applaud Japan for recognizing it is time to change their attitude in regards to suicide. Suicide is not a way to "take responsibility," are you kidding me? The long-lasting despair that family and friends of suicide victims suffer leads to additional problems in society. People who are suicidal are not beyond help - if help is given than many times they can get past their desperation, improve their lives, and go on to be productive members of society. I see this all the time in my profession as a mental health counselor.

Jennifer, Iowa, USA

Having deliberately self-harmed in the past, in retrospect I find the most significant contribution to my past behaviour was that of my parents. I adored them. However, I always felt the heavy burden of their expectations on my young shoulders. A failure in something as insignificant as mock GCSE geography exam would cause me to consume large doses of various pills just to save me the embarrassment of facing them.

It was only when I left home and went about meeting more optimistic people, people who lived life for what it was, that I realised that life is not to be lived to please others, but it is there only to be enjoyed. Studying hard and obtaining high-flying jobs is fruitless if you cannot enjoy life and end up committing suicide. You have to believe in your own abilities and have confidence in all the decisions you make.

Now I am studying to be a doctor, have a beautiful girlfriend and make friends with whomever I meet. Live life to its fullest, you may not get another!

Daryl, London,

After reading all the articles, I can honestly say people care. Be it USA or Japan or anywhere else, dying of an overdose or death by suicide is bad. Well, where do you stop it? For me, after having lived in Korea for eight years, I have come to the conclusion that the only way to do it here in Asia meaning Japan and Korea anyway is to force the cram schools nationwide to close at a reasonable hour. Do you know that high school students can be studying in a cram school until 1and 2 am? That way, students will grow up with other pastimes and hobbies other than studying their minds off and burning themselves out. But in Korea and Japan, I believe this is the issue in this culture. Make your young work so hard they have to fail so then they don't cause problems when they grow up because they feel so weak and stupid.

Daniel Lafontaine, Seoul, Korea

I have been living in japan for about 9 years now. For the past five I have been teaching at a public juniour high school. The social pressures are enourmous however hard to see at first glnce. There is counselling here however it is limited to once a week. I. Depression is the worlds most common ailment however it is the least talked about and looked own upon here in Japan as I am sure it is in other industrialized nations. I hope that in the near fuure the issue and reality of depressio is approached in schools and that students be made to feel that they have somewhere to go. An old problem must be looked upon in an entirely new and different way.
The world has come along way in terms of alleviating mental anguish its just a matter of applying this knowledge in an idiom conducive tto Japanese culture. Anti-depressants can be of much help but the real work comes from the individuals themselves.
So, I am glad to hear that the government is taking affirmative action.

Andrew, yokohama,

Japan are thinking of changing there culture which is not a easy thing to do but will it work you can try schemes and remember suicide was illigal but it did not stop people doing it will changing peoples view on suicide realy change the out come

Martin, Hartlepool,

In 2002 JP began a draconian anti drunk driving campaign. Suicides peaked in 2003, skyrocketing in the countryside (car) but remain flat in the cities (taxi/train). Coincidence?
Just as innocents are killed in accidents, they are also affected by suicides. If a father kills himself, his children can't marry, due to the belief that depression is a genetic disorder.
Aside from suicides – rural bar and restaurants lost their customer base overnight. Entrepreneurs and workers can now only contribute to society in the McJobs which proliferated in the vacuum (enough to make me want to kill myself).
The campaign saved 3,000 lives a year (innocents included). Rural suicides nullify those saved lives and devastate families, the true consequences to be felt as the children try to start families.
Disclosures: I used to own a bar. I don't want unlimited drunk driving, just a rational approach to a social problem. Why are we using 40 year old tech (breathalyzer) to determine driving competence?

Jon Heese, Tsukuba-shi, Japan

How many people who take responsibility for themselves through suicide prevent ruining lives around them?
Suicide is a Sad statement but the sense of responsibility for ones own actions that prevails in Japan is Very Beautiful.
Others know they're destructive beyond repair and do it. I see so many people who've done wrong turning themselves in. These are the only ones that deserve Mercy. I support, support for the stressed out and such but not at the cost of adopting Failed Western values where Rights and 'I am worth it' mentality prevails above Responsibilities and My neighbor is worth Respecting and not being trampled by me. This Country with such a low crime rate should hesitate long before feeding from the trough of western Psychobabble and Non science. Every where this social experimenting is adopted dysfunction, Crime and Violence Follow. New Zealand is a perfect example. Once with Very low crime like JP it's become a sick land of dysfunction. DO SAVE LIVES but don't trade them

James, Nagano, Japan

Quite honestly, I would change Japan's "suicide problem" for the UK's horrible crime rate and insecurity any day. Plus, according to statistics from the World Health Organization, the suicide rate in Japan is similar to those of Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Luxembourg, New Zealand and Switzerland. Do all these countries have a problem too?

Mark, London, UK

Suicide is a permanent solution to a temporary problem.

Before anything can be changed, you have to believe it can be changed. So that is the first step - to believe it can be changed.

Misty, Brisbane, Australia

life in Japan is far more what we from other nations can imagine . rudimental life substence cost much higher than that of any other nations . in this highly developped nation , its citizens must strive very studiously to maitain their basic ,normal life . all is due to high prices level .

michael, KUNSHAN,

Charles - your post perpetuates the fallacy that people who use drugs are automatically dangerous, out of control, etc. We do not have a drug problem in this country, aside from the wasteful and unconstitutional "War on Drugs." You're correct in that Japan needs to address the suicide issue at a cultural level, but you're comparing apples and jet skis here.

BJ, Ann Arbor, MI

Thats kinda intresting, I wonder how many drug related deaths in the US there are in a year , compared to sucides in japan?

Mike, Waterloo, Canada

Actually, the real reason is probably that Japan has no welfare system. People are expected to rely on their family. People are expected to use up all their savings and sell their home before they get a cent, and that's only if they're old. It too is part of the culture. Even the homeless apparently accuse each other of laziness.

Andrew, melbourne,

Modern Life, as it exists today does not satisfy people on the inside.

It's unfortunate that so many people would end their own life rather than fight the system that is ruining life for so many and poisoning the planet for generations yet unborn.

Ugly American, Las Vegas, USA

It`s in their culture...

if you did something bad, they will really make you feel guilty.
they think that it is a dishonorable act for them to be alive than face the problem and be part of a solution.

and in work, they are so pressured to do things in a hurry and they tend to set deadlines that are sometimes impossible to meet if you don`t work 12 hours a day. high expectation is their problem. you can see that in sports. crying after loosing a game. they are so emotionally unstable at times.

leo, saitama, japan

in this article they also should put the statistics numbers, that are sucide rates per 100,000. its still higher than most of developped countries, but not far ahead of developed nation, such as france. sweden, finland. check the WHO websites.
if you combine the number of people shot by guns, or by drug addictions in US, committing suicides in US, certainly it is the first thing should be reported. its a rather shallow analsys to say commiting suicide is rooted only from japanese culture or jpn companies,most of suicides done by middle aged male who works for small sized companies. and whats behind that? it should be well reported

Kanzo, KYOTO, JAPAN

Actually after visit and live in japan several times (and being married to a japanese) is very normal that the suicide rate is so high in japan. The quality of life is terrible (if compared with the other 1st world countries)...terrible in the meaning that the cities are dark, people have lack of comunication, stress, and sincerelly i can see around that mental problems are not so rare around specially in tokio. The work environment is structured in the way that people tend to be workholics, putting work over any other value. the governement have no power in this.....despite anything they say. There is no will to change and the customs are so "solidified" that they think is the only way to do the things. We are in front of a decadent society that dont know hot to conciliate the life of the citizen with the economic interest of the country.

nihongo, tokio, japan

I believe the following is to blame: strong emphasis on success in professional life, with high populations in small area, with a relatively fixed job market. Only so many people can succeed in such an environment.These are two factors that cannot be easily changed, if at all.

Patrick, Memphis, USA/Tennessee

Um... maybe they don't like working their butts off in Jr. High and High School (Uni seems to be the only break they get in life only to find themselves in a "decent" job where they're often working past 10 PM.

I just got back from Japan and found that to be the case with 2 of my good friends and 1 family member. I don't remember their working conditions to be that exhaustive when I was living there 5 years ago (although they worked pretty late then too).

Eric, My Town, USA

Japanese companies are a very stressful place to work, and it is no secret that the Japanese take their work very seriously. You slip up and they really make you feel the heat. I use to work for a Japanese company and I was amazed at the long hours everybody worked. Not because they enjoyed it, but because they didn't want to be the first person to leave the office. Being unemployed or not being good at ones job is a major stress factor, and leads many people to suicide in Japan.

It seems they live to work here in Japan, where we in the west work to live. They need to realize that there is more important things outside the office...

Japan needs to loosen up!

Tom Bones, Tokyo,

I think the Japanese view of suicide would seem alien in the West. In the West, killing yourself like this is seen as the easy way out - the coward's way, because you are not strong enough.

The Japanese certainly tend to take responsibility for their actions, but then instead of moving on to fix the problem, they kill themselves. This just means that now someone else has to deal with it - not to mention the anguish they cause their families.

I think that in order to stem the tide of Japanese suicides, they need to start seeing suicides as more shameful than any incident that might have prompted it..

Jeff, Wolverhampton, UK

The burden of excellence and the stress to keep it up is immense. You see less of this in the West because of the western focus on individualism. In the East your failures are very intrinsically tied to your family and the people around you - hence suicide being seen as the "price" to pay because you embarrassed your folks.

We really need to loosen up.

Lucian Teo, Singapore, Singapore

People choose suicide because they see it as a way out. The problem is cultural in the way that people are brought up.

Japan tends towards a system of shame - you care most about what others think of you.
Western countries tend towards guilt - you care most what you think of yourself.

In Japanese the term to take responsibility (for an issue or problem) is synonymous with quitting or suicide. Just look at Japanese politics and the number of people who have quit and one who committed suicide in the last 12 months over what are fairly minor scandals.

There needs to be more support for people who are considering suicide. Telephone helplines struggle, running purely on donations, and are constantly harassed by anonymous callers and even threatened. Its a sad situation, but there are a brave few who are working hard to try and help strangers who feel they have nothing worth living for, and no one to turn to.

Leon, Tokyo, Japan

maybe this signals an oppressive system? slavery is not freedom

joe leblow, worcestershire, england

Sounds to me like organised stalking is quite active in this advanced and prosperous country.

Funkster, London, UK

After having recently spent a month in Japan...and after having actually been on a train that was stopped because someone "fell" in...

Yes, there suicide rate in Japan is high, but what exactly are you going to do about it? "It can't be helped," right? In the US we have a drug problem. In Japan it's suicides. Different cultural environments lead to different problems, in Japan it just happens to be suicide. And after seeing how many people in Japan live, I completely understand why so many choose to kill themselves.

To fix it I think you'd have to change the whole society. It wouldn't be an easy thing. Look at the drug problem in the US. Trying to stop the drugs doesn't work. It's society that needs to change. Japan is the same way. There isn't an easy fix, and I don't think trying to guilt-trip people into not killing themselves is the answer. It's just going to make them feel more trapped. More helpless.

Charles Widden, Orange County, USA