Today we need to confront a serious issue. Now and then we have to quit with the yuck-yucks and face the fact that life is a weighty business and requires a sober attitude.
What could be more serious than suicide?
In a 2010 compilation of international data, Japan ranked number 7 on the world list of national suicide rates with 24.75 suicides per 100,000 people, right up there with clearly depressed countries like Russia. The US (with many more obvious problems), on the other hand, had less than half that many and was ranked 35th – behind even gently peaceful New Zealand! What could possibly account for this huge discrepancy? In the US, guns are widely available and for those who want to kill themselves, no other method is as effective. Japan, on the other hand, prohibits most of the "easy" ways of killing oneself, leaving only the throwing one's body off of things (high buildings, train platforms, etc.) as one of the popular options.
A Hard Hitting News Hound does not simply read news reports and then pour another cup of coffee and turn to the funnies. No! A Hard Hitting News Hound needs to get to the bottom of the important issues of the day to report on them, revealing the truth, no matter where the truth may lie. Intensely curious, I pondered the issue of Japanese suicides and wondered what might be the breakdown by prefecture. Perhaps some pattern would reveal itself, and we could use the information to take steps to cure this social ill. As it turns out, the top 5 prefectures for suicide in Japan are: in the number 5 position, Niigata (where I live), at number 4, Shimane, 3 is Iwate Prefecture, the runner up prize goes to Aomori, and claiming the top spot is Akita.
What do these prefectures have in common?
Some reporters would undoubtedly stop with the obvious and draw glib conclusions based on inadequate research. "Their weather is uniformly bad." Or, "they all have depressed, rural economies with rapidly declining and aging populations".
That's easy to say.
But a Hard Hitting News Hound is not satisfied with the superficial analysis that so often takes top billing in the papers and on the internet. That's what Fox News is for.
Far from it. The trivial poses no distraction to the inveterate researcher. I dug deeper. What about the other end of the spectrum? What about the prefectures with the fewest self-inflicted fatalities? Kanagawa prefecture and others right around the Tokyo area are the lowest in suicide rates.
What could account for this phenomenon? Is it the excitement of city life that makes people want to hang around longer? If so, how could you explain Hokkaido which is also relatively low in suicides? Further probing revealed the answer. These prefectures have the most Kentucky Fried Chicken outlets! The prefectures with the highest suicide rates generally have very few KFC restaurants. The US, by comparison probably has more KFC outlets per population than any developed country, helping to keep our suicide rates under control. There is something in the spices or in the chomping of crispy fried chicken that dispels black thoughts. Speaking personally, I know that MY spirits go up whenever I make fried chicken. Clearly national health policy should focus on reducing the rates of suicide in these areas by encouraging the Colonel to spread his influence to every depressed neighborhood and area. And now that I am thinking about it... maybe I will make some fried chicken for dinner tonight.
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