Samurai warriors would often kill themselves, Seppuku, to avoid shame. It was part of the samurai honor code known as Bushido.
Today, Japan has one of the highest suicide rates among rich countries. Suicide rates increased sharply in the mid-1990s as the economy soured, and have remained high since (even as the economy has improved slightly).
Financial concerns are cited in one-fifth of suicide notes; almost half of all suicides are unemployed. Some take their lives so that surviving family members can collect insurance, which has led insurance firms to defer payments for two or three years as a deterrent. For the same reason, Japan Railway charges suicide victims’ families for the cost of the inconvenience and clean-up.
In recent years the internet has made it easier for troubled Japanese to contact others considering suicide through popular blog and social networking websites. There have been calls for the government to close down suicide web sites, which provide information about methods and the means for contacting others.
