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16-year-old girl hit, killed by train in apparent suicide

13 Comments

A 16-year-old girl was hit and killed by a train in Machida, Tokyo, on Sunday, in what police believe was a suicide.

According to police and witnesses, the incident occurred at around 6:40 p.m. on the JR Yokohama Line, Sankei Shimbun reported. Witnesses told police they saw the girl walk under a crossing bar and onto the tracks just as a train was approaching.

The driver told police he applied the brake but couldn’t stop in time. The girl was taken to hospital where she was pronounced dead. Nobody on the train was injured.

Police said the girl, who lived nearby, left a note in her pouch, indicating she intended to commit suicide.

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13 Comments
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So very very sad

2 ( +2 / -0 )

May she rest in the Peace she could not find here...

There are, on average, 100 a day in Japan.

Suicide rates by country in 2016 (per 100 000 people, age-adjusted)

[Wikipedia - List of countries by suicide rate]

1 Guyana 30.2

2 Lesotho 28.9

3 Russia 26.5

4 Lithuania 25.7

5 Suriname 23.2

6 Ivory Coast 23.0

7 Kazakhstan 22.8

8 Equatorial Guinea 22.0

9 Belarus 21.4

10 South Korea 20.2

30 Japan 14.3

34 United States 13.7

3 ( +3 / -0 )

This is terrible to think about. My wife witnessed a suicide when she was a little older than this girl. This is a terrible problem in Japan but I don’t think the media should attempt to ignore it to prevent copycat occupancies. It’s a serious problem that needs to be confronted head on.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

This is so so sad.

virus, financial and expectations are all factors in suicides.

This hurts reading, what about the family.

Rest in peace

-1 ( +0 / -1 )

Unfortunately, you don’t have to look far to encouragement. Just look at the Japanese TV programs and movies. It’s right there.

You are not kidding! The number of times you see a schoolkid standing on the roof of a building in some drama contemplating suicide is almost like an ad for it.

4 ( +5 / -1 )

RIP, poor soul.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

Does it eventually help to encourage them, so they don’t do it just to oppose and resist to what is told them and continue to think about other ways or possibilities out of problems and obstacles? I mean, the current handling doesn’t work, so maybe the opposite.

Unfortunately, you don’t have to look far to encouragement. Just look at the Japanese TV programs and movies. It’s right there.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Does it eventually help to encourage them, so they don’t do it just to oppose and resist to what is told them and continue to think about other ways or possibilities out of problems and obstacles? I mean, the current handling doesn’t work, so maybe the opposite.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

@letberealistic Agreed... Also missing the "where to get help if considering suicide" at the end of the article.

4 ( +9 / -5 )

You can find that information by clicking on the Health link at the top of the home page.

@letberealistic

I totally agree!

4 ( +12 / -8 )

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