Suicide Divers in Japan

(Tokyo, Japan) The Japanese are killing themselves and stopping trains.

Operations of 35,300 trains were delayed over 30 minutes or canceled in Japan in fiscal 2008 due to ‘‘suicide divers,’’ the worst since fiscal 2002 when the data became available, a transport ministry survey showed Sunday.

Of the 35,300, 21,100, or 60 percent, were trains operated in the metropolitan area in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba and Kanagawa prefectures, according to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism.

The ministry has been calling on the railway operators to introduce effective measures to prevent suicides on railroads, such as building fences between the railways and platforms.

Sad.