William A headline and sub-headline in the Kumanichi caught my eye: “First-year student at Kumamoto Kogyo High School commits suicide in October; suspicion of bullying cannot be ruled out” and “For the second time, Prefecture to initiate third-party investigation.” Apparently, the Prefecture instituted an ordinance in 2018 that all primary (K-12) student suicides must be investigated by an independent entity to prevent coverups. A former student of mine, the owner and president of a medium-size company founded by his grandfather, committed suicide after his company went bankrupt. He was like a Japanese father to the still way-green me 30 years ago, and 30 years later, it still hurts like it was yesterday. It was a lesson to me: suicide is, essentially, a selfish act, leaving survivors with scars that will never heal. If you are considering harming yourself or know anyone who is, contact the Tokyo English Life Line (TELL), https://telljp.com/lifeline/ to talk with professionals trained in this area. https://kumanichi.com/articles/848060?utm_source=kumanichi&utm_medium=mail&utm_campaign=newsletter