Suicide in Postwar Japan

Image and Reality

Image of Japan

• Suicide major component in foreign image of Japan– Harakiri or seppuku ハラキリ・切腹– Kamikaze 神風（特攻隊）– Mishima Yukio 三島由起夫– Alleged connection between “exam hell” and suicide

試験地獄　→　自殺– School bullying and school child suicide– Railroad suicides and damage claims 人身事故　→　

損害賠償請求

Financial Times 22 June 2007

• Tokyo begins to heed cry for help

• Last year, according to police records, 32,155 people – about 90 a day – took their own life, placing Japan at the wrong end of global suicide league tables. Among Group of Eight countries, only Russia does worse, with a rate of 39.4 per 100,000. Suicides in Japan, at 24.1 per 100,000, are much higher than in France, at 18.4, and three times more frequent than the UK and Italy. But why?

Definition of Suicide

• Take your own life deliberately as contrasted with– Murder 殺人– Accidents 事故– Sickness and old age 病気・老衰死亡

• Who determines?– Police 警察– Coroner 検視官　（米国 )

Ambiguous Cases

• Murder made to look like suicide – Shortage of pathologists in Japan– “Unnatural death” not properly checked

• Suicide not reported as such– Spare families embarrassment– Suicide in family impacts on marriage prospects of children– Collect life insurance pay out

• Suicidal behavor– Drug and alcohol abuse– Reckless driving

Comparative Statistical Issues

• Countries with strong central governments and uniform reporting systems– Japan, Koea– Most European countries

• Countries with weak central governments– US– Russian Republic

Culture and Suicide

• Foreign coverage invariably stresses “culture” – Samurai suicide– No Christian prohibition on suicide

• “Logic” of cultural emphasis– “Christian” countries with suicide rates higher than Japan– Countries without “samurai” heritage with suicide rates higher than Japan– Regional variance in Japan

• Does culture vary by region?– Fluctuation over time

• Does culture fluctuate year to year?• If suicide rate is going up does that mean “samurai” tradition is getting

stronger?– Generational differences– Gender differences

Religion and Suicide

• Common Japanese (and foreign) belief that Christianity “prohibits” suicide, makes it a “moral sin”– キリスト教は、自殺したら地獄に堕ちると明言している。ダンテの神曲では木になって怪鳥アルピエについばまれることになっている。キリスト教では地獄に堕ちたら永遠に出られないとされている。

• Reality– Christian teachings have change over time

– Different Christian traditions have different attitudes to suicide

– Most nominal Christians unlikely to know actual teachings

Suicide and Religion

• Roman Catholic areas tend to low suicide rates

• Protestant areas tend to high suicide rates

• Significant exceptions– Lithuania predominantly Roman Catholic

but very high suicide rate– Korea 30% Christian but higher suicide rate

than Japan (1% Christian)

Suicide in OECD Countries

World Suicide Map

Long Term Male Suicide Trend

Long Term Male Suicide Trend

• Declining until 90s• Low during war years• High in immediate postwar years• Apparent link between economic (not cultural)

change and suicide– Improving economic conditions → lower suicide rate

– Upsurge in unemployment → higher suicide rate

Unemployment and Suicide

Economy and Suicide

• Economic disruption in second half of 1990s– Redundancies (layoffs) 大量リストラ– Sudden failure of blue chip firms such as Yamaichi Sho

ken 一流企業の倒産（山一證券）– Increased stress from wider use of “norms” and perfor

mance evaluations 合理化・成果主義の導入 業績年俸

– Hollowing out and foreign competion• Small firms go bankrupt 中国・韓国の競争　→　中小・零

細企業の倒産• Owners use life insurance to save family business 借金返済

と生命保険

Male Suicide and Unemployment

Statistical Artifacts

• 1998– 40% increase

• Too much to explain just by economics

• No significant change subsequently

– Unexplained, unnoted shift in data gathering

• Significance– Rather than being European mid-range, Japan was and

had been European high-range

– Shows weakness of both foreign and domestic analysis

Historical Pattern

Recent Trend

Death by Overwork 過労死• Term karoshi has entered English

– Typically presented as peculiar to Japan

– Legally recognized category that permits claims against employers

• Pattern to be found elsewhere– Korea 韓国– Anglophone countries 英語圏– Workaholic 仕事中毒– “worked himself to death”

Sociological Character of Suicide in Japan

• Highest suicide rates– Rural prefectures and areas

• Eastern Japan higher than Western Japan• Tohoku historically highest• Akita Prefecture historically “worst one”

– Some decline in recent years

– By age• Older (elderly) have higher suicide rates than younger• Ill health, desire to not be a burden major factor

• Motivation– Generally NOT known– Relatively few people leave suicide notes that state explicit reason

Health and Suicide

Health and Suicide

Age Distribution

Regional Distribution

Recent Regional Distribution

Suicide Rates by Country

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