Woman jumps to her death at Shin-Koiwa Station; 5th suicide there since July

There are some frighteningly cold reactions to suicide on this board - calling them evil, selfish, inconsiderate.. My guess is you have no direct experience with suicide, haven't lost close friends or family members that way and seem to be considering the issue in terms of its convenience to yourself and others. Suicide is not new, it's not a modern phenomena. Losing someone to suicide is the worst experience. It's a veritable tsunami if grief, pain, trauma, confusion, hopelessness, anger, bewilderment, emptyness. I sincerely hope you never find that out for yourself. It's trumped only by the realization of what that person went through to get to that point, to make that decision. It's truly horrible. Ignorance about suicide perpetuates it. Coldness towards people who need help perpetuates it. Social stigma about mental illness in it's various forms perpetuates it. Reporting suicide does not. So before you start judging and bashing people from the comfort of your loungeroom, or as you tap out a message from the train platform on your ipad, how about you think about saying to someone "Are you OK?" rather than "You selfish p#@*K".

It is good to have barriers to prevent accidents - agree They won't stop suicides - agree There's too many copcats, in part due to mass media - agree More awareness is a potential way to stop some sucides - agree

BTW, when you guys figure out how to fix things in Japan, let everyone else know how you did it so we can stop the exact same thing happening in other countries

I don't know what kind of barrier the transportation ministry is considering, but if it's anything like the kind you see on some subway lines, it most definitely would prevent suicides.

You know, those 8 foot high glass walls with doors that only open after the train has pulled in. I mean, to jump over one of those you'd have to bring a ladder.

hatsoff. "Lack of compassion is probably a contributing factor in acts of suicide"

I have compassion for people which is why I believe it is profoundly selfish to select a means of suicide that impacts so many other people in such a dangerous and traumatic way.

I do feel for people who contemplate suicide. But I have far more concern for the children who have to live their lives with that memory. Or the adults who may be pushed to the edge in their lives after seeing such a tragic event. And this is before the risks to life and limb inflicted upon the innocent when people choose trains. How many times have people been killed or injured due to the suicidal actions of people at stations? It is unacceptable and unforgivable behavior.

Since we cannot deter suicide, we must do all we can to make it inconvenient and difficult. Put up walls and help protect people at stations!

As for suicide itself. Society in Japan requires radical rethinking to encourage mental health care, greater social connectivity and community fabric and less acceptance of suicide as a rational option for change. But until you start to fix these issues, the priority must be the protection of innocents subjected to this risk. Build walls!

With all due respect Steve. I’m aware of various mental illnesses and their cause. However, one doesn’t wake up in the morning, happy and full of live and on the way to work, while waiting for a train decides, maybe it’s not all that good after all. There is no accidental suicide. It’s always long thought thru. I’m simply saying if family is more involved in the lives of their close ones, perhaps that will somewhat eliminate the amount of incidents. And if by implementing some type of punishment will partially cure the ignorance why not try it?

Life is so precious ! ! ! In the end she is a selfish person, Japan should have a hotline or they should post toll free numbers

They should have suicide hotlines or advertisment that should say, " We can help you !! Please talk to us !!! "

socially isolated is what tokyo is all about

You are right Steve, at least she did not kill anybody else in the process plus this article did not explain the reasons for her suicide, the list could be endless. Lets hope the afterlife is treating her better than her previous one.

Armani; Maybe you should study about mental illnes and why people commit suicide. When doing this there is no rational thought which is obvious ats teh cat is not rational. I prefer not to speak ill of the dead.

I am reading these comments, after not reading JT for 2 weeks and I must say, that it is unbelievable how many posters are always trying to blame something on someone.

Still no barriers on train station platforms. Incredible.

Barriers can be climbed over, and people will still find a way to kill themselves.

Selfish, evil people who toss themselves in front of trains.

What good does it do to criticize someone who has killed themself????????????

What would help also would be tort reform that would actually allow people to sue the proprietors of dangerous places such as train stations

Yeah........ great idea. Let's become like the US where you can sue and be sued for almost anything and everything. City roads are dangerous too, shall we sue the department of transportation for not putting up barriers?

I’m surprised no one here is talking about how unconsidered this women is to others around her. Whatever caused her to end this life is her business, RIP, but why do it in public? Go home, take a pill. I don’t get it. Why do others deserves to have that image in their head, why do they need to suffer? Since it’s so popular in Japan to jump in front of the train I think there should be a law. If one commits suicide in public, relatives should pay a large fine.

Rest in peace, poor woman, mother and daughter.

Selfish, evil people who toss themselves in front of trains.

Lack of compassion is probably a contributing factor in acts of suicide. The victim probably would love nothing more than to take part in society like everyone else, going about his/her daily business. It's attitudes like the above that perpetuate the problem, and perpetuates the vicious cycle of depression, self contempt and contempt shown by others.

The lady who commited suicide by jumping in front of the train would not have been thinking of anything else prior to the tragedy, othe then the fact that her very existance was unbearable. Any family and friends she has left behind have to deal with the aftermath, worrying whether there was anything they could have done or said to help and prevent her from taking her life. Those at the train station have to deal with the horror they were witness to.and those that are contacted to recover her remains have to deal with their gruesome task. All round, it is a tragedy

Bets idea would be to try and prevent such a large amount of suicides rather than complaining about the trouble they cause to others. Better piblic awareness, helplines and stopping the stigma of mental illness would be good starters

Agreed. And they need to use some shocking posters at stations, too. Like 'Imagine if you were the train driver when someone jumped in front of your train!'

.

Ouch!****

Between 2002 and 2009, there were 4566 train suicide incidents of which 4087 died. In 2009 alone, there were 699 cases of which 591 died.

A crack in Shintoism (but also Buddhism), which encourage suicide to avoid dishonor or escape difficult situation in life.

@George Palmer: Terrible if true. Could you provide a link / some source?

@beentheredonethat

" suicides are not spontaneous events. people don't suddenly get the urge to jump in front of a train.."

Based up on what? Many suicides are opportunistic. Making platforms less opportune will reduce the number of people who suddenly walk off platforms.

As for protection. On more than one occasion I have had the ill luck of seeing blood spatters on the platform or witnessing them being removed. Barriers will help protect people from both blood and objects as well as from visually having to see those suicides.

For me it is enough if it encourages the planned suicides to jump from somewhere other than platforms. I am not looking to cure suicides by train here. I am looking to avoid accidents, reduce the number of suicides near and on platorms and to protect the innocent.

As for hopping over barriers. Sure there will always be people with a strong will to do away with themselves and the theatrical depth to go leaping over barriers. But I guarantee you that that sect make up a minority and that making platforms less opportune will send the majority looking for other options.

@warnerbro

What would help also would be tort reform that would actually allow people to sue the proprietors of dangerous places such as train stations and potentially collect damages from them. A successful civil case now wouldn't cover lawyer fees and is no threat to negligent businesses, to say nothing of government agencies, at all.

Because we are run by Japan Inc., my friend...they sure have all their bases covered!! (Just like TEPCO)

The "Shouganai" mentality once again prevails.... (-_-)

Suicide by train is epidemic now. A thirty minute train ride this weekend was interrupted on two different lines, neither of which is the line above, by 人身事故. They have barriers in the Kyoto subway, where most of the time the platforms are empty, and none in Tokyo where people are quite crowded on platforms during rush hour even if no one intends to jump. Perhaps they'll have a computer simulation performed on Shinkoiwa to prove that no problem exists. It works for the nuclear power industry. What would help also would be tort reform that would actually allow people to sue the proprietors of dangerous places such as train stations and potentially collect damages from them. A successful civil case now wouldn't cover lawyer fees and is no threat to negligent businesses, to say nothing of government agencies, at all.

I don´t think that barriers will prevent suicides either, but I think they are a good idea anyway. Anybody with children taking the train to sc hool surely will agree.

It diffcult to ended action that accepted as part solution of problem. If there are really commit suicide give them job will ended their life (at past 'kamikaze') like go cleaning radiation debris or sending to become voluntary helping people at war zone. no energy be waste!

@George Palmer: Please tell me that is fiction. If that is a true story, that government worker should be tried as an accessory. Hard to believe that this type of mentality exists here in Japan.

I know that there are many reasons for suicide, and not trying to turn this into a discussion on Christianity or religion, but if most Japanese don't have religion, then what do they believe happens to them if they die?

If they don't know what happens to them exactly, and are brave enough to commit the "ultimate act" to face the unknown, then wouldn't they have the same outcome if they didn't kill themself and stayed alive to face the unknown here on earth. If you can make that great a leap on "seeing what will happen" by killing yourself, then I would imagine that you should be able to handle life's ups and downs.

Any comments from posters would be appreciated.

steve: I was under the impression that along with the bill you mentioned, any insurance monies the family might get (usually defunct due to suicide, but not positive) would be forfeit and go to the companies to pay for the aforementioned clean-up and delays (the latter of which can be VERY costly). Might be wrong, though.

I think we need those suicide booths like in Futurama. The ones Bender is always going into. Barriers wont stop people from jumping. Maybe if they had a nice cozy suicide booth to go to to end it all we wouldnt have these constant train delays and PTSD people who have at see the aftermath of a train hitting a soft human body at speed!

tkoind2

who is "resisting" barriers? the point is that other posters lamented the fact that there were no barriers, like having them installed at all train platforms would prevent suicide. sorry, my "friend," but they won't. suicides are not spontaneous events. people don't suddenly get the urge to jump in front of a train. they usually have thought about it for quite some time. and it doesn't require much effort or time to hop over one.

about flying corpses, that lass unfortunately jumped in front of an express train bound for the airport, which was traveling much faster tan normal trains. so i'm not sure how often barriers would be needed to protect people from human projectiles.

zichi; The family may be sent a bill for cleaning and disruption but are under no obligation to pay uder current Japanese law. If the train company continues to demand monies the family can sue for harrassment.

Bets idea would be to try and prevent such a large amount of suicides rather than complaining about the trouble they cause to others. Better piblic awareness, helplines and stopping the stigma of mental illness would be good starters.

I agree, barriers wont make a shred of differnence to people wanting to "go out in style".

i think people who wants to die , they should die , but don't bother others , if u don't want to live , its ur choice ,but u should not make suffer other people life

*but so far her name has not been released *Japan does not release names of suicide victims in these cases. They release them only if an accident.

Barriers make it harder to do. If you have to climb over it on the platform, these people may consider other options or do it at a crossing instead. At least it would reduce danger to people on the platform as well as helping with accidents.

So why all the resistance to an obvious good idea to help protect people and perhaps reduce random spontaneous suicides.

At least the walls may shield people on the platform from flying corpses and bloody goo and body parts.

I care more about the welfare of the countless innocents on the platform than the one jumping. So pay for the walls already.

The act of having to climb over a gate will deter most jumpers. Also make it easier to stop people. Newer subway stations have gates/walls that you cant climb over, its not like JR cant afford them...

These suicide jumpers often end up dead. So sad.

George Palmer The spot is called Tojinbo. It's in Fukui. Pretty well-known jumper spot here in Hokuriku.

Wow, Shin-Koiwa eki is really dangerous these days. The Narita Express comes barreling through at a pretty good clip on a regular, predictable basis, too.

I have friends who live in Shin-Koiwa and they aren't pleased. Would barriers help? Maybe. Not. But also they crowd already congested platforms, which adds stress to commuters. It's an old station, dark, grimy, in an area that is not too upscale. Still, that really doesn't automatically make it a doomed spot. If you are there, don't stand near the platform conbini or the edges. Have your back against a wall. And, good luck. Seems to be attracting jumpers for awhile, alas.

Coerced murders will go unnoticed

I thought they already did.

Papasmurf, coerced murders will go unnoticed.

There is a suicide spot in japan. I heard a story about a retired cop who goes to the spot to try and help people, one day he met an elderly couple that were contemplating the end. so he ask why, they told him. he said to them that problem is fixable. He sent them to the government office to get the solution to their problem. The guy at the office told the elderly couple that yes he could solve there problem, but its best they commit suicide. After reading in the newspaper a couple days later that the couple had killed themselves. He went to the office and ask if they had come in. This is what the guy at the office said. Yes they did but i told them to commit suicide.

This will sound insensitive, but maybe JR should just make an official "Suicide Station". Have an empty train with a big bumper bar go around in circles and let people jump off the platform at will.

People contemplating suicide need counselling, don't get me wrong, but putting up barriers etc. will not solve the problem - they'll just find other ways to kill themselves - so why not give them the choice to do it in a way that doesn't inconvenience everybody?

I lived in Shin Koiwa for years until last week (I didn't move because of the suicides!) but I agree with Human Target. It IS a night place in many ways but I never felt it to be a depressing place at all. Had many a fun time there. The reason for this is pretty clear - anyone who has lived in Japan for any length of time will have observed the suicide trends that pop up from time to time. Off the top of my head I can recall cleaning products mixed to make poisonous gas, often in hotel rooms; charcoal BBQs in cars; group suicides from people meeting on the internet. This is just another one of those - the first one hit the news because it was rather spectacular. The other have followed because that highlighted the fact that the Narita Express rushes through the station extremely fast, without stopping. The other trains stop at that station, and at many other stations express trains pass by on tracks that don't go through the platform. Barriers on the thousands of platforms in Tokyo alone are a huge expense and I would have thought they are unlikely to reduce the rate of suicide. If that's the case then it becomes a simple financial decision - cost of barriers vs cost of delays. As JR has been installing barriers at stations for some time now, I assume that they have decided that it makes financial sense in the long term.

Trains are built to carry people, not to kill people. Please don't use it as a suicide machine.

Japan is a safe country, externally, but they getcha inside. I saw a number of dead bodies in public during my stay in Japan: jumpers; train and building. Never elsewhere. Although the, "Thump, thump," I felt while riding in the first car of the Inokashira Line one night was from a couple guys who had been fighting drunk on the tracks, so I couldn't call those volitional.

Life is so precious. There is so little standing between any of us and death. Our existence is so ephemeral. Close your eyes, take a deep breath and just be for a few seconds.

I do not really see the connection between the barriers and suicides. The barriers can't stop those willing to kill themselves.They can prevent accidents, yes. But if all these conjectures about barriers and accidents were true, suicide rates would be awfully high in other countries, where even high speed train (TGV, ICE) run through normal stations without special precautions except signals, speakers and common sense.

I think the guys we all should care for are the poor train drivers, who have to face these suicides and cannot do anything to stop the train, while the have to see all in grisly details. These people are completely traumatised afterwards and I have strong doubts that they get proper assistance and understanding here. Officially acknowledging that suicide is bad is only half of the job. The really hard part is to prevent the witnesses from getting depressed.

Yep, still no barriers on the platforms. While suicidal people will always find a place to commit that terrible crime, barriers would prevent accidental deaths (someone falling into the tracks in insanely crowded platforms with mo space, domino's rally, etc.)

If she didn't jump in front of the train at the station, nothing would have stopped her from jumping in front of a train at any route along its path. My question is why chose the Narita Express. I see many of the other local trains that run just as fast and could do the job (if that is what they want) just as easy. Or is it some grim facination of thinking that if I am not happy, I will at least make life a little more inconvienent for those who may be leaving Japan on a flight, just to make their life miserable too.

So sad for this lady.

all JR stations need gates/barriers on the plaforms PERIOD! This will absolutely decrease the number of jumpers into trains. why provide such a convenient method of suicide in the center of mass transit!?

If people want to kill themselves, They can go do it somewhere else.

Over crowded platforms during rush hour are very dangerous. Absolutely retarded that they have not gated everything up yet.

I think reporting on suicides...fuels more suicides. It confirms that the method works.

I'm torn on the barriers thing. On the one hand, I think people are right in that if a person is determined enough to kill themselves they will find a way over the barriers. On the other hand barriers WOULD help stop people from falling onto tracks and being killed, and it MIGHT help prevent the odd suicide. With no barriers, you literally have no idea that someone is about to jump (unless they're at the very edge of the platform or something); they just do it before the train goes through. If there were barriers, and increased platform attendants, you'd have a pretty good idea someone is going to jump as they attempt to climb over the barrier. In that crucial moment perhaps they could be stopped. Probably not, but you never know. Maybe in the future all stations will end up being glassed in with double sets of doors, as is the case in newer subways and some train lines.

Regardless, it's pretty clear that there's a problem at this station in particular. I hope the woman didn't leave behind a family to grieve -- it's a shame that people feel so hopeless they will take their own lives. It's akin to a crime when they leave behind a family who suffers for it.

I lived at this station until just before July, and I have to say I liked it a lot. It's convenient, has a really "Shitamachi" feel. It's clean and if you live in a taller building you get a great view of two rivers, the Sky Tree and a lot of downtown. Has a reputation for Yakuza activity, but I'd say that's undeserved.

I don't know why it's so popular for suicides all of the sudden. There aren't a whole lot of express trains passing through

Barriers, blah, blah, blah barriers.

If someone is intent on killing themselves barriers will not solve the problem. At best barriers will just move the problem to another station. It is like a band aid method. Nice idea yes, but it will not reduce the number of suicides.

News telling about the incidents at Shin-Koiwa station just fuels the minds of others like her to do the same at that station, copy cats no doubt.

I hate jumpers, especially selfish ones to make you miss your flight.

the woman’s personal effects identified her as a 45-year-old what does "personal effects" mean? really? are you watching too much sci-fi movies?

There was a spate here in the Kansai area a couple of months ago, I kept getting messages on my cell about the train disruptions.

When my g/f and I were looking to move into east Tokyo, one of the areas we looked in was Shin-Koiwa. We both noticed that the area had a pall over it and its people seemed beaten down. Not sure if this is part of the reason for the suicides, but it's interesting that we were both so taken aback by its negative aura.

They have barriers on all of the shinkansen platforms that have high speed run throughs. People jump over them. The Shinkansen tracks are securely fenced and yet people get over them or jump off bridges. Nothing will stop a determined person from getting under a train. I feel extremely sorry for anybody that chooses to end their life in this violent manner but I wish to god they'd jump in front of a bus or truck which would be equally effective and not disrupt the lives of thousands of travellers. I am a train driver in Australia and have been for 40 years. Never had a suicide but I have friends that have had to leave the job or take early retirement due to multiple suicides and fatal accidents. How many times I have caught an earlier train than needed to get to Narita just in case this happened.

If you live in Japan long enough, you will understand that suicide is a big part of life in Japan, and the problem is not only with this station in Shin Koiwa out in Edogawa Ku, Tokyo, because this happens from Hokkaido all the way down to Okinawa, well not too sure if they have many train stations down in Okinawa but I am sure you get the point, at least 30,000 Japanese choose to end their lives on their terms every year and this choice, sadly enough, is suicide. RIP?? Suicide victims all of Japan and all over the world.

sorry but blaming a lack of barriers is just re-freakin-diculous. the barriers won't prevent train jumpers. they might prevent blind and drunk people for falling onto the tracks but not people who want to commit suicide. where there's a will, there's a way, folks.

Selfish, evil people who toss themselves in front of trains. I am sorry, but every time I hear "Human Accident" I think that some selfish person has inflicted another horror on innocent people.

Imangine what it must be like to see that! To see some woman splattered all over a kiosk. Or some person ripped to shreds by the train.

On any platform at any time of the day are people who are just trying to go about their lives. There are women, children, students and working class people. None of whom need to see or be so horribly traumatized by these selfish people killing themselves in this most public and brutal way.

The people I know who have seen this up close live in horror and nightmares thereafter. Some suffer from post traumatic stress.

I have just missed this horror two times in the last two years. Once because I glanced down to check my mail and missed someone go over the edge. And another time when I was seconds late to my usual spot on the platform and only saw the blood.

Suicide is a tragedy for the person and for the family. But I have far greater respect for those who do away with themselves in a manner respectful of others than the showy selfishness of these pathetic and insensitive people who risk the lives and well being of ofthers when they choose this form of suicide.

The nation should put up walls to prevent this. At least then, these people will be forced to jump where not so many people will be put at risk.

This country is just too cold & uncaring, not much help for anyone with any sort of problems when things get tough, sad

Why, why, why.... why don't these articles ever tell why?

Shin-Koiwa is a sleazy little town famous for its Chinese prostitute and so-called 'gentlemen's clubs'. Most of these suicides have been women (possibly all) and it makes me wonder if it is related to the seediness of the town.

Sherman

Something gravely wrong with this station!

More likely something gravely wrong with these people not the station.

@umioso

Not always temporary, but I like your thoughtfullness as opposed to some of the other comments.

@the obvious

There's no barriers at the stations where I live either. So that's at least 2 countries that don't have them.

To feel that suicide is the only answer to whatever the cause of the despondancy is a tragedy, I sincerely hope no children were witness to the womans horrific way in which she chose to end her life

Note to self - If traveling to the airport by train, allow additional extra time in case of suicide jumpers.

Hard times, eh?

It's absolutely ridiculous that they haven't put up barriers. Remember this is Japan. Money is more precious than life.

Suicide: A permanent solution to a temporary problem. Life is a gift and should be treated as such.

Barbaric train platforms lend themselves to barbaric deaths.

Still no barriers on train station platforms. Incredible.

Something gravely wrong with this station!

Just an easy place for someone to jump in front of a relatively fast train, I think...

the woman’s personal effects identified her as a 45-year-old

She must have lost her job......after 40, jobs are not that available for women here in Japan. Let alone J women with basic experience....

Something gravely wrong with this station!

most probably yes, so either they should relocate this station or perform buddhist ritual ceremony.

when her body was propelled through the glass door of a kiosk

Wow. That sounds brutal. I still can't believe that there are people out there that feel things are that bad. To experience 'good', you need to expierience the 'bad' as well.

Something gravely wrong with this station!