8 B
THURSDAY. FEBRUARY 28. 1963
MEDFORD MAIL TRIBUNE, MEDFORD, OREGON
Japanese Suicide
Prone, Is Claim
Br CHARLES R. SMITH
Tokyo -dlPB- Almost every
Japanese schoolboy knows
and loves-the tale ol the 47
Ronln.
It is a story of mass suicide,
47 brave Samurai warriors
who slashed their stomachs in
true hara kiri fashion and
died without flinching at the
orders of the Tokugawa Sho
gun more than two and a half
centuries ago.
This was Japan's most fa
mous mass suicide. It is re
corded in history books and
has been the basis for hun
dreds of stories, plays and
movies.
On Aug. 22, 1945, a week
after World War II ended
with Japan's defeat, 10 mem
bers of the ultra-nationalist
Japan Productive party sat in
a circle on the ground in
downtown Tokyo. As they
chanted their apologies to Em
peror Hirohito for losing the
war and bringing humiliation
to him and the nation they
pulled pins from hand gre
nades and blew themselves to
bits.
Wive. Too
Less than a week later,
three wives of these victims
went to the same spot and
shot themselves to death.
There have been no more
such mass suicides in Japan
these days. But there has been
no slackening of the rate of
self-destruction.
Every 30 minutes somebody
dies by his own hand in Ja
pan. For every three who suc
ceed, two fail.
Some who succeed are frus
trated lovers. Some are disap
pointed students.
Some take their lives be
cause of financial troubles.
Some want to end their exist
ence because of crippling in
juries. Some are like the teen-age
high school girl who killed
herself because she could not
get rid of pimples that spotted
her face.
Some are like Mitsuru Sasa
gawa. Seeking Entry
Sasagawa was 21 when he
died. He was studying hard
lor the tough entrance exami
nations that Japanese students
face when seeking entry into
the major colleges. He had
failed twice. He was studying
every spare moment.
His father, Koei Sasagawa,
told his son to rest and not
study so hard when the youth
complained of the constant
noise of a pile driver at a con
struction site near their home.
One day the youth rushed
outside and raced down the
street. Before anyone knew
what he was doing1 or could
stop him, young Sasagawa
thrust his head under the pile
driver, which crushed his
skull like an eggshell.
Some of the suicides are
like 24-year-old Shigeyukl
Asano, of a small town in
Aichl Prefecture. Despondent
because of his poor health, As
ano smashed a window in a
Nagoya television tower and
leaped to his death.
Sleeping Pills
Some who try but fail are
like 22-year-old Shojl Ume
kawa, a frustrated movie and
television actor. Umekawa
took an overdose of sleeping
pills. A friend found him be
fore it was too late.
Like so many of those who
succeed, Umekawa's reason
for wanting to end his own
life was unrequited love.
There are many popular su
icide spots in Japan.
One of the most popular is
the crater of Mt. Miliara, an
active volcano on Osliima is
land, south of Tokyo. It be- j
came popular in (lie llKSO's j
when two high school girls
leaped to their deaths after
seeing a sad show by (he !
famed all girl Takarazuka
troupe.
Double Suicides !
It was in the 1030's that 1
double suicide became popu
lar. Frustrated lovers usually '
were the victims.
So popular did double sui
cide become in the l!)30'i that
a popular song was comxscd
about it. The song was dedi
cated to a Kclo university
student and his lover who
took poison and lay down to
die together on Sakatavama
hill at Oiso while watching
the sun go down over the
ocean.
What drives the Japanese
to take their own lives at such
a rate, second only to East
Germany?
The Japanese Welfare min-
Circuit Court to
Hear Sex Cases
Portland -(TO - Dist. Atty.
George Van Hoomissen aid
Wednesday that all sex of
fense cases in the county in
volving children under 16
would be prosecuted in cir
cuit court.
He said he ordered the ac
tion, viiich was recommended
by the Legislative Interim
Committee on Social Prob
lems, to avoid delays in
prosecution and to protect
child witnesses from having
to testify in more than one
istry says the main reasons
appear to be "nervous break
downs, family troubles and
just plain boredom."
Some others go more deeply
into the causes.
One writer suggested that
"whatever the various rea
sons, it is obvious that Japan
is suicide-prone, just as cer
tain people are accident
prone. The country has long
been fascinated by the sub
ject. The literature is full of
it; so is the theater, the films
and even television. It is even
socially acceptable."
Interior Spokesmen
Deny Office Move
Washington -IUPD- Interior
Department officials have
"categorically deneid" any in
tention of moving Bonneville
Power Administration and
Bureau of Indian Affairs of
fices out of Portland, Sen.
Wayne Morse (D-Ore.) said to
day. But Morse said the Treas
ury Department intends to go
ahead with plans to transfer
its division of disbursement
office from Portland to Og
den, Utah.
Morse said he had voiced
"strong objections" to the
transfer, which will affect
about 25 employees.
Radiation Research Center Started on University Campus
Corvallls-A new Radiation
Research Center" that will be
the key facility in future high
level radioactivity research in
Oregon has been started at
Oregon State university.
The $755,000 Center also
will be used to train advanced
students in the fields of nu
clear engineering, nuclear sci
ences, and radiation health,
President James H. Jensen
pointed out. A tremendous
need exists for such highly
trained workers, he added.
Oregon Slate's efforts in
radiation research date back
15 years when the chemistry
department started work with
radioisotope labelled com
pounds as tracers.
Now, there are about 50
research projects under way
on campus involving radio
active materials or radiation
NOW YOU KNOW
By United Press International
The practice of adding an
extra day to every fourth year
(Leap Year) was originated by
the astronomers of Julius Cae
sar in 46 B.C., according to
the Encyclopedia Brittanica.
They determined that since
the solar year's length was
365 days and six hours, the
extra hours should be added
up into a full day every fourth
year.
effects. They include studies
on sterilization by radiation
of meat and seafood, insect
resistance to chemicals, radia
tion resistant bacteria, effects
of radiation on the nervous
system, and use of radioiso
topes as a research tool in
biological sciences, agricul
ture, forestry, physical sci
ences, engineering, etc.
House Laboratories
The new Center will house
a number of laboratories de
signed for "absolute control
of radiation hazards," Dr.
Chin H. Wang, director of
the Radiation Center, emphasized.
All high level radiation
work will be done at the Cen
ter; low level radiation
studies will be continued in
the various departments. A
Campus Radiation Safety
committee is managing an
Atomic Energy Commission
"broad byproduct license,"
under which such research
projects are carried out.
Radiation health- or the
implications, good and bad,
that radiation has on humans
- will draw special attention
in the expanded program of
work planned after the Cen
ter is completed, Wang said.
Equipment will be provided
to do such basic work as
measuring nuclear fallout in
the Oregon atmosphere;
checking radioactivity levels
in foods; measuring minute
amounts of radioactivity, de
rived either from natural or
artificial sources; and pro
ducing high levels of ionizing
radiation for studies in radia
tion science.
Used Successfully -
In recent years, too, radio
isotopes have been used suc
cessfully as a diagnostic
means and therapeutical
means for a number of com
mon diseases, Wang added.
Half of the funds for con
struction of the Center came
from federal grants; the r.-st
from state funds. Federal
grants include $200,000 from
the National Science Founda
tion and $177,640 from tha
National Institutes of Health.
The Atomic Energy Com
mission is expected to pro
vide additional funds for spe
cial equipment in the Center
in addition to a $25,000 equip
ment grant awarded a few
months ago. It is anticipated
that a big research nuclear
reactor will be established at
the Center in years to come,
. The building design was de
veloped by a team of OSU
scientists.
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