Suicide is as popular in Japan these days as it ever was and it’s no secret that Japan has one of the highest suicide rates among the developed nations of the world. Just what brings a person to commit such an act of violence upon him or herself remains a mystery to most of us. Yet, in Japan, suicide seems to be part of the culture. Indeed, before the Meiji period was ushered in, samurai warriors often took their own lives to avoid disgrace or show loyalty. Even now, in modern times, many Japanese see the suicide solution as the best way out during difficult periods.

Suicide in Japan spans the range of all ages. 70-somethings still hurl themselves in front of trains while elementary school students hang themselves in bathroom stalls or leap from school rooftops. Now, a new trend has emerged; Since the beginning of the year there have been 27 suicide deaths by Hydrogen Sulfide gas in 26 separate cases. The latest case involves a couple who inhaled the deadly gas in their family car in the garage of their Kitakyushu home. In several of the incidents, family members living in the same home as the person who committed suicide were overcome by the gas, and in one case, the mother of the deceased was left in a coma due to her exposure to the gas.

In Japan, there are suicide and murder trends that blow up for a short time and then fade away only to be replaced by other disturbing ones. It’s easy to see that news reporting on the latest trend of suicide by gas has compounded the problem; Indeed, there have already been several incidents this week. Does the news media bear some responsibility in this? Do I for writing this article?

Some readers may recall the bullied-youth suicide trend that reached its peak in 2006. Many claimed that overreporting of the issue bred new incidents. There was talk about how knowing that there is a strong tendency for people to follow trends in this country requires extra care in how such cases are reported. But, was it just another trend? Or, is there something deeply ingrained in the culture that allows so many to come to such a dark conclusion.  How is it that a young child of 9 or 10 years comes to the point where he or she can see no other way out of trouble but death? Sure, there is bullying in schools here, just like anywhere else in the world. And, many young ones do feel the pressure from parents and authority figures to succeed while often being unable to live up to the expectations that have been attached to their lives. But why such a final decision? Whatever happened to “the sun’ll come out tomorrow?”

Tales of suicide pervade both classic and modern Japanese literature. In Norwegian Wood (Noruwei no mori - ノルウェイの森) by Haruki Murakami, the main character moves through a life where some of the closest people around him commit this final, irreversible act. Yet, the focus of the story is not suicide at all. The fact that suicide surrounds the main character seems more as if it’s something that many Japanese are faced with.

Of course, these days the official word on suicide is “bad.” Families of those who dive onto train tracks to be run over by oncoming trains are handed the bill for the clean-up of whatever mess comes about as a result of the death plunge. Yet, the high suicide rate persists. One case last year involved a custodian at a university who got fed up with something and in the middle of the workday, knocked off early and did a half gainer out of a third-story window. Unfortunately, she landed on a young student and critically injured her as well. In another incident, a woman in Ikebukuro jumped from the top of a department store building and took out a salaryman on the way down, killing him. These two incidents weren’t the only two of their kind. Beyond that, the number of murder-suicides last year involving parents dispatching their children and other loved ones before finishing themselves off is almost too disturbing to mention. When people commit suicide here, they often really fuck things up for other people.  To be honest, it’s not the fact that so many people in Japan decide to kill themselves every year that disturbs me so much, it’s the fact that so many of them have no problem with taking others out in the process. I guess it should come as no surprise, right? I mean, if a person is so far gone that his or her life has lost all meaning, he/she is probably incapable of attaching much meaning to the lives of others.

Hopefully, the suicide-by-gas trend will die out soon (no pun intended) and the coming summer won’t turn out to be as brutal as it’s shaping up to be.

Update: A Tochigi man gassed himself to death today (April 19th).  He made the Hydrogen Sulfide gas from detergents mixed while sitting in his car.
Another Update: A woman, who fatally gassed herself with Hydrogen Sulfide was found dead Monday (April 21st) in Fukuoka. Wonder where she got the idea from.
And yet, another update: In 2 separate cases, 2 people committed suicide today (April 22nd) by using hydrogen sulfide gas.
Biggest Update Yet!: A 14-year-old girl in Konan, Kochi did herself in with Hydrogen Sulfide gas on Thursday (April 24th), but the worst part is, get this: 14 neighbors were hospitalized due to exposure to the deadly gas. Are you starting to wonder if you won’t wake up tomorrow because of the actions of these selfish turds?
Posh Update: A man at the Peninsula Hotel, a luxury hotel in Tokyo, tried to do himself in with hydrogen sulfide gas today (April 24th). While he was unsuccessful, the entire floor of the hotel had to be evacuated.
Friday Update: 2 men in their 30s and 1 man in his 50s did the suicide-by-gas thing on Friday, April 25th.

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