Suicide also rises in land of rising sun

By J Sean Curtin
Japan has been stricken by an epidemic of suicides cutting across all social strata and age groups, according to recently released statistics for 2003. Every day nearly 100 people take their own lives, at a rate of almost one every 15 minutes. And the long economic slump is a factor. Despite recent signs of economic recovery, the good news hasn't yet touched the lives of those who leap off buildings, hurl themselves in front of trains, apparently in droves, or hang themselves.

Japanese Children Committed Suicide

Suicide of 'bullied' Japan pupils

Two Japanese children killed themselves over the weekend because they were being bullied at school, say police.
The deaths of the 12-year-old girl and 14-year-old boy bring the number of children in Japan who have committed suicide since August to five.
The girl, who jumped from the eighth floor of her family home, was said to be being bullied because of her height.