Evening star., 1896-11-17
JAPANESE TIRED OF LIFE.

Harikari Not So Popular nv Hanging
or Drowning Am"nE Suicides.
From the London Daily News.
Mr.. Kure Bunso, japanese statistician,
in a recent article contributed to the Far
East, presents some remarkable figures on
suicide in Japan, together with interest
ing comments on the causes. '1n Japan"
he says, suicide is not considered a sin
even from a religious point of view. The
chief point in the teaching Of Buddhism is
future salvation, SO that some ignorant
men and women, misapprehending the
teaching, try to escape from this world as
soon possible by self-murder in order to
secure future happiness and peace. This
mistaken idea, together with the influence
OF religion and the dauntless character Of
our people, tends to increase the number
of suicides. Moreover, there are noted
men who have done good deeds who have
died in this manner; hence people naturally
come to think of suicide as manly way of
dying, rather than an act of cowardice
and shame" 1t appears from the tables
that during the five years, 1904, inclu-
Sive, the average number Of suicides
among male Japanese was 1905 per an
mum, and among the women 2,S22.4, the
combined ratio being Isl per million In
Germany and France % per cent of the sui
cides are women, but in Japan the percent
age is IS, and Mr.. Bunso quantity explains
this as lowing to the situation in which
our women are placed, and also to their in
tellectual ability In the years under re-
view 1879 men and 6,1SS women hanged
themselves; 5,269 men and 6,S25 women
drowned themselves; LIZA men and 597
women performed the happy dispatch"
with knives swords; $50 men and 81 We
men shot themselves; 266 men and 131 wo-
men took poison, and 1912 men and 3I9
women killed themselves in miscellaneous
fashion. July in particular, and the sum-
mer months In general, are preferred-as
in EuroIe-by japanese suicides.
Most curious, however, are the causes of
suicide. These are exhaustively classified,
and a careful analysis shows that 1903
of the men and g. IS2 of the women commit
ted suicide through madness or aberration
of mind;' 5,33S men and 1885 women
through distress or grief regarding means
OF living, or some misfortune" 2,6l0 men
and 1,6I4 women through bodily suffering
(sickness);" Isl men and 1.1O7 women
through love ard Affection" 1,036 men
and 1863 women through "remorse and
shame" All men and G6S women through
disagreement with family, anxiety for the
future 221 men and Isl women through
weak k-mindedness; 261 men and "a wo-
men through loss of fortune or debit" 2S7
men and 90 women through fear of the
discovery of crime and punishment" 1ab
men and 30 women through melancholy"
33 men and 80 women through distress for
misconduct of husband or son." ~ men
and % women through grief for death of
pan ent or husband or wife, &C.: 3 men and
$50 women through 'censure of parent or
employer" men and 80 women ION ac-
count of divorce men and 76 women
through seduction" Is men and p fe-
males ION account of physical defects;' 2
men and 4S women through dislike of
marriage" 327 men and 23T women through
other causes" and 1,467 men and $50 wo-
men for unknown reasons"
The ages of these suicides is thus re-
corded: Under sixteen years, 474 males,
4So females; 1870 years, 1,OO7 males, 1859
females; 2O-30 years, 4, 121 males, 1886 fe-
males; 30-40 years, 1864 males, 2,u4 fe-
males; 1850 years, 4,145 males, 1,767 fe-
males; over 80 years, S,652 males, 1852 fe-
males; OF uncertain age, 6I males, 10 fe
males.
These figures give food for reflection
ShakeSpeare's dictum that none have ever
died of love certainly does not apply to Ja-
pan. 1t would Seem that the japanese wo-
men bear bodily suffering better than men,
mat they are more affectionate, they do
not 1eel remorSe and shame SO keenly as
men, that they are less criminal, or, possi-
bly,, less fearful of the consequences, that
they are less weak-minded, that disagree
ments with their families affect them more
deeply, that debts and loss of fortune sit
more lightly on them, that they are less
melancholy, except when the misconduct of
their husbands and sons is concerned; that
they sorrow more for the dear dead, that
they feel censure more strongly; that the
woes of marriage de jure and de facto and
the dread possibilities of marriage come
home to them with deadlier effect that
they are vainer or more sensitive than
men, and that they are not so well able to
keep secret their motive for suicide. 1t is
curious to find no fewer than 166 men over
80 years of age killing themselves on ac-
count of family squabbles. Generally
speaking, female suicides are more fire.
quent in youth and male suicides in ma
ture age,