Another student suicide stuns Japan
Pastor Dale Morgan
Another student suicide stuns Japan*
From correspondents in Tokyo
November 15, 2006 07:37pm
Article from: Agence France-Presse
A 14-year-old boy was found hanging in the latest death amid a wave of
suicide threats by Japanese schoolchildren in response to bullying,
officials said today.
The boy was found dead in a hut near his home last night in northern
Niigata prefecture, a local education official said.
"The principal of the affected junior high school has spoken to his
students about the importance of life," he said.
He declined to say if bullying was a factor amid a pending
investigation. But Kyodo News, quoting police, said the boy killed
himself hours after classmates pulled his trousers down.
With the latest case, at least four students have committed suicide in
Japan since the weekend amid intense media attention blaming bullying
for the deaths.
The Education Ministry disclosed on November 6 that it had received an
anonymous letter from a teenager contemplating suicide unless bullying
stops.
Since then, the ministry has received 16 similar letters and even more
e-mails. Local education boards across Japan have also been receiving
similar letters.
Japanese schools have long been notorious for bullying.
Bullied students have been known to kill themselves or others, or simply
drop out of school.