Suicide Videos - The Documentary Network

Japan’s Disposable Workers: Overworked to Suicide

Documentary.net staff — Tue, 24 Nov 2015 16:13:46 +0000

“The cause of my depression is definitely overwork.” wrote Naoya Nishigaki, 28, a system engineer, on his blog. “I can’t do anything. I just feel irritated, exhausted, and disgusted. I try to suppress these feelings with medication, but I feel like my medication has become less and less effective lately. I’m so worried. What should I do? “ Naoya committed “karojishi” or suicide triggered by overworking in 2006. Karojishi has become widespread among Japan’s white collar “salarymen.” Salarymen devote long work hours and loyalty to companies in exchange for a lifetime of employment and benefits. But with the recession of the 1990s and the lifting of a ban on the use of cheap temporary laborers, they increasingly must work arduous hours for fear of losing their jobs. Working essentially two shifts a day for weeks a time leads frequently to feelings of depression, something that is still stigmatized in Japan. Many hide their suffering from coworkers and even family members. This secrecy often exacerbates the loneliness and creates further isolation from society. Kinmi Ohashi, 60, lost her husband, Hitoshi, from suicide in 2009. His death was triggered by the exhaustive hours he spent working and the harassment he received from his superiors. “My husband worked hard for 37 years, sacrificing his time with family and his mental and physical health.When he committed suicide, the company didn’t give us any support...What was my husband’s dedication for? One worker did not mean anything to a big company. He was just disposable.” “The cause of my depression is definitely overwork.” wrote Naoya Nishigaki, 28, a system engineer, on his blog. “I can’t do anything. I just feel irritated, exhausted, and disgusted. I try to suppress these feelings with medication, but I feel like my medication has become less and less effective lately. I’m so worried. What should I do? “ Naoya committed “karojishi” or suicide triggered by overworking in 2006. Karojishi has become widespread among Japan’s white collar “salarymen.” Salarymen devote long work hours and loyalty to companies in exchange for a lifetime of employment and benefits. But with the recession of the 1990s and the lifting of a ban on the use of cheap temporary laborers, they increasingly must work arduous hours for fear of losing their jobs. Working essentially two shifts a day for weeks a time leads frequently to feelings of depression, something that is still stigmatized in Japan. Many hide their suffering from coworkers and even family members. This secrecy often exacerbates the loneliness and creates further isolation from society. Kinmi Ohashi, 60, lost her husband, Hitoshi, from suicide in 2009. His death was triggered by the exhaustive hours he spent working and the harassment he received from his superiors. “My husband worked hard for 37 years, sacrificing his time with family and his mental and physical health.When he committed suicide, the company didn’t give us any support...What was my husband’s dedication for? One worker did not mean anything to a big company. He was just disposable.”

Burned Alive in Bulgaria

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 26 Aug 2013 08:31:55 +0000

It’s not every day that you meet someone who has set himself on fire. One reason for this is because it’s pretty much the most awful and insane thing imaginable. Another reason is that people who light themselves ablaze usually die soon afterward. Surprisingly, it’s not always the burns that kill them. Often, flames will enter a self-immolator’s lungs through his mouth, causing him to asphyxiate. On a recent trip to Bulgaria, I met not one but two people who had survived suicide attempts by fire. “Solving problems with gasoline has become the new trend,” Georgi Kostov told me in the burn-victim unit of St. George hospital in Plovdiv, Bulgaria’s second-largest city. He was still in shock, so his wife, Donka, did most of the talking. She explained how the couple were unemployed, in debt, and struggling to feed their children, when, two weeks before my visit, Georgi disappeared into his bedroom at their apartment in the industrial city of Dimitrovgrad. He came out doused in gasoline, convinced that the Mafia was outside his front door to collect on his debts and kill him. Standing in front of his family, he flicked on his lighter and burst into flames. Donka leapt onto him to put out the blaze while his sister threw water on him. They succeeded in saving Georgi, but his wife suffered third-degree burns all over her arms in the process. “He was so depressed,” she said. “He didn’t know how to make anyone notice our poverty. So he did this horrible thing.”

Saving 10,000 – Winning a War on Suicide in Japan

Documentary.net staff — Wed, 12 Jun 2013 13:21:27 +0000

In a war on suicide, who is the enemy? The story of an Irishman’s personal passion to uncover the true causes of the high suicide rate in Japan. The disturbing findings include the Japanese media`s perverse love affair with suicide, a variety of cruel and predatory economic pressures and an outdated and failing mental health care system. With the help of front-line experts and ordinary Japanese, many touched by the horror of suicide, the movie delivers practical proposals on how Japan can win a war on suicide. However with suicide such a taboo, the odds are nobody will listen. Or will they? A 52-minute documentary directed by Rene Duignan and filmed by Marc-Antoine Astier. Unusually for a small low budget documentary, “Saving 10,000″ has attracted a lot of media interest with Rene giving over 20 interviews to date. The movie also sparked interest from politicians with DVD requests from a Minister and Vice-Minister and a screening was held at the Japanese Parliament. Rene has had the privilege of sharing his ideas in a meeting with the Suicide Prevention Unit of the Cabinet Office. After the high profile Japanese media coverage, a large amount of screening requests have been coming from all over Japan. Due to huge public interest and the extreme urgency of raising suicide awareness in Japan, Rene has made the decision to release the full movie online for free. Please note DVDs will be provided free of charge to any organisation/university/NGO that would like to hold a public screening.

Suicide Forest in Japan

Documentary.net staff — Mon, 14 May 2012 21:21:09 +0000

The Aokigahara Forest is the most popular site for suicides in Japan. After the novel Kuroi Jukai was published, in which a young lover commits suicide in the forest, people started taking their own lives there at a rate of 50 to 100 deaths a year. The site holds so many bodies that the Yakuza pays homeless people to sneak into the forest and rob the corpses. The authorities sweep for bodies only on an annual basis, as the forest sits at the base of Mt. Fuji and is too dense to patrol more frequently.

Into the Mind of a Suicide Bomber

Documentary.net staff — Fri, 19 Aug 2011 09:43:12 +0000

Pacha Khan, a 25 year old, from the Logar province in Afghanistan says he is ready to become a human bomb and kill foreigners in his country. Sue Turton traveled to northern Afghanistan, and met some of the young men who are preparing to be part of that deadly plan. "God willing, our leaders have prepared everything for me, I am now waiting for my orders". His Commander reveals off camera that the plan was for him to strike during next week's elections. "Many others are ready to martyr themselves but he is always saying he wants to be the first. That's why we gave him priority". It's a tactic that is on the rise in Afghanistan, and one, the Taliban say it will use to derail parliamentary elections planned for next week. The UN says that suicide bombers were responsible for around three quarters of all civilian deaths in Afghanistan.

Aftermath: The Legacy of Suicide

Documentary.net staff — Sun, 20 Mar 2011 06:10:22 +0000

This documentary looks at how children deal with a parent committing suicide. Meet 3 people who lost their fathers to suicide at an early age but learned the truth much later, after years of confusion, grief and guilt. In French with English subtitles.