-Caveat Lector- Japan's executive suicides rise by a third FROM ROBERT WHYMANT IN TOKYO JAPAN'S suicide rate is soaring in a grim reflection of the country's economic woes. Last year suicides totalled 32,863, an increase of 35 per cent on 1997, according to police figures. It was the first time they had topped 30,000. Particularly striking was the sharp increase in the number of suicides by men in their forties and fifties, the age groups hardest hit by the current wave of "restructuring". The figures show that 713 corporate managers killed themselves, a 38 per cent increase on the previous year. Suicides linked to economic problems surged by 70 per cent to 6,058. The Japanese, convinced the country is going to the dogs, are flocking to the "failures and crisis" sections of bookshops to snap up gloom and doom books that indulge their darkest fears. Works such as Japan's Failures, Japan's Crisis and The Essence of Our Country's Failure attempt to explain why Japan is in the throes of the severest economic recession since the Second World War. The recent spectacle of Nissan, once a symbol of Japan's unbeatable industrial might, going cap in hand to Renault for financial help was the last straw for the depressed national psyche. Many Japanese people saw it as a humiliation that confirmed the nation is falling into ruin. Others see the soul-searching as a positive sign that the Japanese are eager to identify past mistakes and to learn from them. "People are humble enough to admit they've failed and now they want to know how they can improve themselves," said the political commentator Hideaki Kase. "And don't forget, self-flagellation is a very Japanese pastime." DECLARATION & DISCLAIMER ========== CTRL is a discussion and informational exchange list. Proselyzting propagandic screeds are not allowed. Substance�not soapboxing! These are sordid matters and 'conspiracy theory', with its many half-truths, misdirections and outright frauds is used politically by different groups with major and minor effects spread throughout the spectrum of time and thought. That being said, CTRL gives no endorsement to the validity of posts, and always suggests to readers; be wary of what you read. CTRL gives no credeence to Holocaust denial and nazi's need not apply. Let us please be civil and as always, Caveat Lector. ======================================================================== Archives Available at: http://home.ease.lsoft.com/archives/CTRL.html http:[EMAIL PROTECTED]/ ======================================================================== To subscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SUBSCRIBE CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] To UNsubscribe to Conspiracy Theory Research List[CTRL] send email: SIGNOFF CTRL [to:] [EMAIL PROTECTED] Om
