Suicide” has become a social issue in Japan. We talked about it with some international students studying in Japan! Part2

I think it’s shocking to know that suicide is the top reason why people die at a young age.

I think I’ve become numb to it, but when I hear about such incidents on the news, I tend to ignore them. To be honest, I have a strong feeling that it’s someone else’s problem. At the very least, I would like to take care of my family and friends to prevent such misfortunes from happening to them.

I’ve known about this situation and I think it’s pretty bad.

The reasons for this definitely relate to the fact that Japan is a high-context culture, meaning people don’t say things straightforwardly.

Especially in Japanese companies, people are expected to keep the harmonious environment that they conceal their emotions to a great deal.

I personally think it’s the main reason to this situation. Another reason can be traced back to Japanese long-history of Samurai, who kill themselves if they failed or lost to somebody (so as I’ve heard).

I think modern generations also inherit this trait as they tend to punish themselves for failing.

Japan has one of the most aged populations in the world, with only a small number of young people. In such an environment, it is a great loss to society and to the economy if people choose to die young.

It seems to me that the world to which each person belongs has become extremely narrow, both at work and at school, and that the negative aspects of digital tools such as SNS and LINE, which are supposed to enhance human potential, are becoming more and more noticeable, creating a huge vicious circle.

Many young people think that their home, school and club activities are the place where they belong, but the moment it becomes painful for them to be there due to bullying, they start to push themselves into thinking that it is painful but there is no escape and that they have to die.
I think we need to remind people that we have infinite choices.

Vietnam is not as much a high-context culture as Japan so I don’t think the situation is that serious. We have strong work ethic but I think every employee is straightforward to each other, even the subordinates to their boss. I hope I answered your questions!

I totally agree, reevaluating life and rethinking society from a religious point of you would solve much of the problems in Japan, including causes of the high suicide rates…

Having a purposeful life with a bigger goal, and an insightful understanding of it will definitely help.

Moreover, daily worship and prayers help to reinforce these meanings when someone is weak, lonely, or suffering; as someone could reach an understanding about life and our role in it at some point in their lives, but might not recall that meaning in hardship, as he/she didn’t nurture this realization over the days, nor lived by it; Like a plant that dies without keeping to nurture and water it…

These issues and more are addressed perfectly in Islam…
For example, In Islam we have a bigger purpose in life, we need to seek acceptance in the heavens through this life, Quran tells us that everything is a test, and even reveals to us that there are hardships in this life.

Through he examples of Prophets’ stories -the most favorable humans to God- we see how some were killed, others were fought against, some thrown in the fire, or forced to leave their home countries, kidnapped… and so on
and yet they were patient and understood that by their patience they’re being rewarded more and more…

Islam also values life so much, Suicide is one of the biggest sins, it’s not our right to take ourselves’ lives, as our souls and bodies are deposits from God and we have to look after them, and we will be asked about them in the day of judgment.

It’s worth mentioning also that Islam reshapes society for the better, as we are all equal in the eyes of God, no matter what race, ethnicity, or social background we have…
God chose to test each one of us through different circumstances,

For those in power or higher positions at work and society, their positions don’t make them more favorable to God, it’s their test, they’re instructed to be merciful, fair, and humble…
and they will be asked about how they treated their subordinates and followers…

And as for low-ranked people, they should also be fair, honest, and deliver services in the best way possible but only within their limitations, as God himself doesn’t ask us to exceed our limitations and instructs us to be considerate of our mental and physical health…

The last thing I would like to highlight is that also Islam organizes contracts among people…

Under no condition, an Employer is permitted to abuse his/her employees and their financial needs.

If a contract states 40 hrs work per week, for X money, then only this what constitutes the relationship, no extra hours for free, no waiting for the boss to leave the office, no additional work at home -unless the employee is voluntarily accepting with 100% consent, and not because of social and financial pressure-, and courts should intervene if any of the parties violate the terms of the contract…

I got depression when I broke up with my partner at the time. It was so painful and sad that sometimes when I stand in the balcony of my parent’s apartment in a high building, I thought about throwing myself through the banister just to end my life and the misery that I was going through. I was so mentally unstable that I started to fill the void by smoking too much.

I even lost my appetite with food and also my sleep. It happened during the firs 2 weeks after the breakup. After that, I tried to get out of negative thoughts by changing my surrounding environment.

I went travelling a lot, met new people and express my feelings with them (sometimes). I tried to focus on myself and what I liked to do.

Finally, I was able to come out of it and became stronger. I’m actually proud of myself for surviving that nightmare.

Of course, the feeling that God is with us and seeing us, and can hear us whenever we talk to him or pray, is very relieving.

At the same time, in any society, we must look after the weak, the vulnerable people, and the underdogs..
It’s a social responsibility to give guidance, support, and solidarity…

This should start with a shift toward spreading a culture of care and mercy among us, that starts from the individual and spread into the family, neighbors,  friends, and colleagues; I already learned that Japanese culture has a lot of these meanings embedded, but the harsh capitalism and extreme materialism altered these beautiful meanings and traditions…there’s a need to reinforce them…

In addition to that, there’s a need for NGO’s and community centers to address these issues, and maybe a 24 hrs Hotline service to handle these cases…
This should go hand in hand with better regulations and an enhanced working environment by the government…

I once took a three-month leave of absence from work due to physical and mental exhaustion caused by overworking.

In Japanese society, especially in male society, there is still a tendency to boast about being tough enough to work long hours, such as “I worked all night” or “I was so busy that I didn’t have time to sleep”, although this is becoming less common.

I couldn’t adapt to such an environment and as a result I got sick, but as I took time off I came to think that it was for the best.
When I started to take time off, I remembered what my boss had said to me: “Other people are working as hard as you” and “You are not the only one who is suffering”.

But after I stopped comparing myself to others and realised that the company I work for is not the only thing in my life, I became a little more positive. I think it was because of this that I was able to start the Yomoyama project.

It is true that regulations such as those limiting the maximum number of overtime hours per month have seemingly improved the situation, but the reality is that little has changed.

In Japanese companies, and perhaps only in our industry, we are often told by our bosses to “get on with it”. If your working hours are about to exceed the monthly limit, or if you have to work late into the night to complete a proposal, you should normally apply to your manager for approval.

But if you approve all the applications from your subordinates one by one, the authorities will point out that nothing has changed in terms of working conditions. So only vague instructions would be issued, saying, “Do that part well.
In other words, there are unspoken instructions that say, “If you need to do it, we want you to do it, but we don’t want you to apply for it, and you can adjust for it by taking time off at other times.

Salah mentioned “contracts”, and in Japan, contracts don’t work very well. I think it is necessary to rethink the concept of a contract, which is the cause of both employers and workers.

I think the best way to reduce suicide in society as a whole is to create a new culture of sharing and caring.

People need to know that expressing their emotions is fine and should be welcomed in the society.

As individuals, I think family and friends play a big role in spotting and supporting people with mental illness. Parents should create a trusting feeling among the family and friends should reach out to check on their friends once in every while.

The first step is to prevent excessive work and excessive oppression. However, the current “working time regulations” promoted by the government will only have a certain effect and will not help to reduce the number of suicides.

Rather, I think it is more important for the government and local authorities to expand the so-called safety net so that individuals can have a wider choice of ways to work.

Also, from my personal experience, it is important to avoid dependence on any one thing, such as a company. If you rely solely on the company for your income and relationships, you will have no way out when problems arise in the company. For example, it is important to have more than one source of income and to be able to leave the company at any time.

I think it is necessary not to create an environment of dependence on only one thing, such as friends, lovers or family, and to diversify our emotions.