Two people have died in Yokohama, Japan, after a tragic incident involving a teenage girl who jumped from a shopping center, landing on a pedestrian below.
The 17-year-old high school student leaped from the building in a busy shopping area on Saturday evening, striking a 32-year-old woman.
Both victims were rushed to the hospital at around 18:00 local time (09:00 GMT), but the girl died within an hour, and the woman succumbed to her injuries shortly after.
The motive behind the girl’s suicide remains unclear. However, official statistics indicate that September 1st is the day with the highest number of suicides among Japanese youth, coinciding with the start of the new school term.
Last year, 513 children in Japan took their own lives, with “school problems” being the most frequently cited reason.
In Japan, students who avoid school are referred to as “futoko,” due to issues such as family problems, personal conflicts, or bullying.
Efforts have been made by authorities and media to highlight the challenges faced by students during this period.
For example, Japan’s public broadcaster NHK ran a Twitter campaign called “on the night of August 31” to raise awareness.
This incident in Yokohama echoes a similar case from 2020 in Osaka, where a 17-year-old boy’s jump from a shopping center resulted in the death of a 19-year-old female student.
The boy was initially charged with manslaughter posthumously, but the charge was later dropped.
Authorities have yet to determine any responsibility in Saturday’s deaths.
While Japan’s overall suicide rate is gradually decreasing, it remains the leading cause of death among teenagers, making Japan the only G7 country with such statistics.
Source-BBC
