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Suicide Chat Rooms in Japan

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Group suicide pacts in Japan: how the internet is changing the way some Japanese are living and dying.
Adam_Yamaguchi

23 responses // Suicide Chat Rooms in Japan

  • i want to kill myself....help me anyone...
    myselfdied
    3 responses to this
  • HI User,

    I have seen ur mail, it does''nt matter 4 me why u want to kill yourself, i know life is full of problems, but i want to tell you it doesnt mean u finish your life, God gives us so beautiful life, dear if the darkness is at its exstream then it means light is so near, you know God gives us this life after 1084 Janam, if you want to finish your life then you should used it in good workds, i mean join any Army, help poors, atleast you will satisfy that you done some good things in ur life.

    Dear we get this life only once, please talk to your frndz, ur family about that, and if you think nothing works, then i advice you u should go in any other place, without telling anyone, choose new place, new job, new friends, u will realise life has something good things., and one day may be you laugh about thinking that you try to kill yourself.

    I hope my advice will help you,

    please Love Life.

    Kanika
    kanika22
  • Great story...

    And it''s interesting how suicide is a Japanese subculture. The amount of Japanese cultural products about the theme, or having the theme playing an important role in it is huge...

    One great example I can remember now is <a href=" http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serial_Experiments_Lain�..."Serial Experiments Lain"</a>.
    Dflo
  • Suicide pacts-one of the unforeseen and unfortunate aspects of online networking. As the pod points out, the group pressure only enhances the chances of going through with it. It's really tragic that only in planning their deaths do these depressed individuals find some kind of support--and only from those who can't help them find another way to deal with their problems.
    joanneshen
  • Probably one of the odder experiences I've ever had in pursuit of a story. While I worked on this, every morning I'd wake up (in Los Angeles; it was evening in Japan, when people would start going into the chat rooms) to talk to people about their plans to commit suicide. I probably chatted with 20 or so people in the rooms or via email, voip and phone about why they wanted to kill themselves. Reasons varied, but most of the young people I spoke with felt school pressure, or were bullied; there was also a certain lingering romanticism about suicide, a remnant of Samurai culture in Japan. was all very bizarre and fascinating that the internet was becoming a place where total strangers would seek out counsel and comfort just before taking their own lives. in some ways it seemed as though these people were finding friends and companions when it was too late --after they'd decided they'd end their lives.
    Adam_Yamaguchi
  • http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide_rat...
    Rates of Suicide Around the World
    Rates of Suicide Around the World
    http://www.who.int/mental_health/prevention/suicide_rates/en/index.html
    lauraling
  • While I think these sorts of sites facilitate the act of suicide, I feel that it is more important to focus on the root causes rather than the symptoms.

    I see the issue of suicide in Japan as a primarily three part problem: (1) From childhood the Japanese people face immense social pressure. This comes from living in a goal-driven society in which performance is often measured in overly specific ways. From elementary school Japanese students are hit with an unending barrage of entrance examinations, upon which their families base their expectations for what they can and cannot achieve in life. Things are worsened in high school when students attend, in addition to their normal schooling, special cram schools, which often run well into the evening. This sort of social expectation arises in the workplace as well, where employees are often judged by the how late they leave the office every night. In my opinion, the set of social expectations that Japanese people are put under is intensified by the homogeneity of Japanese society. With the nation's lack of immigration there is a lack of influx of foreign cultures, protecting a long-solidified Japanese identity from evolving. As long as this set of rigid expectations persists, the Japanese people will continue to be put under tremendous pressure to conform. (2) Nevertheless, this negative effects of this societal pressure would be greatly reduced if it were considered socially acceptable for a Japanese person to seek psychiatric help and counseling for his or her problems. Unfortunately, as touched upon in this pod, attending any sort of therapy is frowned upon in Japan as a sign of mental weakness. Doing so goes against social expectation, which, as explained before, is has an incredibly strong influence over the Japanese people. (3) As a result of these two factors, suicide becomes an appealing way out for many people. They see it as a silent way to remove themselves from society. As also referenced in the pod, there is still a slight romanticism to suicide in Japan, stemming from the days of the Samurai in which stories of men who took their own lives to preserve their honor were viewed as bases of acceptable social behavior.
    khecht
  • When suicide is concerned, it might be a benefit that those committing the act do it with others who want to die, rather than with those who don't. It's becoming increasingly common in America to go on a killing rampage, and suicide pacts might cut back on that.
    jinkies
  • I suffer from depression and have done for 6 years. I am currently on 20mg Citalopram (Celexa) and seeing a psychologist weekly whis is greatly helping me. This makes me sad. Instead of making suicide pacts they should be forming the groups to support eachother. Please...myselfdied.....don`t kill yourself. There are sites that can help you if you can`t talk to anyone. www.suicidal.com is good and the forum www.depressionforums.org is also very good. The people are very supportive. Parents shouldn`t put so much pressure on their children. Maybe if that stopped then suicides may lessen.
    waif88
  • This is absolutely chilling. I hope people see this and realize how absolutely unnecessary suicide is, and how terribly frightening the concept of ending one's life should be. Thank you for sharing this story. I really hope this changes someone's life.
    longhornlover
  • Where can you find sites like this in america?
    Fyxxer
  • It's sad when people don't have the will to live and take the only way out they feel is right.
    calonial1
  • Excellent reporting Adam. Hopefully more awareness of these sites could help members of the community to get in touch with these people and help those who may be disillusioned with suicide and could be convinced to live and encourage them to seek help and guidance with their problems in much more positive ways.
    Colonial_Zombie
  • i seriously think that shutting down these websites is the not the proper mode of alleviating the problem...

    one thing that you mentioned at the very end mr. yamaguchi is a phone number to contact...but what about in japan...as much as there is suicide trends, there should be support groups popping up more also...
    flipriza
  • http://youtube.com/watch?v=gRSR1EY2jaY&feature=related
    does anyone remember the movie suicide club?
    donkeyfly69
    1 response to this
  • Bullies, the people who are so intimidated by everyone else that they draw pleasure from pushing others around who are too good to reach down to their level. Rise above and conquer. You are worth it and believe me, you are loved. There is always hope, even in the darkness. Don't take your uniqueness from the world. We need you. Message me.
    cmhuguenard
  • in japanese traditions its honorable to kill ones self. samurai's in the middle ages would commit seppuku
    (when they stab them selfs in the abdomen) if there daiyamo died or there retainer.
    power_packed_ro
  • it is sad to see, how there are web sites making suicide that much easier for people who normally would not dare to end their lives.
    fiLakaMrPink
  • http://www.trendsspotting.com/blog/?p=424
    There is on interesting article going on Trendsspotting.It suggests Japans weak economic growth and a high rate of unemployment can be attributed as the primary reasons behind high suicide rates.

    Also as a topic,suicide is hugely popular among Japanese bloggers in 20-30s.

    http://www.trendsspotting.com/blog/?p=424
    Apurba

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