A Case of Suicide - Mr. Susumu Nishibe

It was found that a conservative commentator Mr. Susumu Nishibe, who was believed to have killed himself in January this year (2018), had actually been helped by two friends in his suicide. We were surprised at the news of his suicide in January, but are now more surprised at the fact that he sought out help at the end of his life. Nishibe’s daughter apologized to these her late father's friends for involving them in her father’s suicide and this suggests that Nishibe strongly wanted to die in his own way. In Japan, we are not allowed to die with dignity and therefore we have to die at hospitals with various tubes or at home being abused by or abusing caregivers. It is not unusual that caregivers give up on their lives because they are too physically tired or feel a sense of guilt of being unable to make care recipients (e.g., parents) satisfied. Some even quit jobs to dedicate themselves to caregiving and end up being homeless or are too sick of taking care of others and start abusing care recipients. Others just leave caregiving to others, e.g., siblings, and after their parent's death, fight over money. In any way, it is a quagmire and I don’t want to die like this. Nishibe’s wish to die with dignity is my problem, too. He was happy, because he had two friends who understand and support his decision and a daughter who also understands not only her father’s but also his friends’ feelings. Aging (other than cosmetic issues), death, caregiving, etc., have been stigmatized and people avoid talking about them in Japan. It's wrong as they are everyone's issue. I have taken them up so far in this blog and will do so going forward.