Suicides on the Japan Rail

Tokyo’s Shinjuku train station is the world’s busiest, with approximately 3.3 million people passing through the station everyday; during rush hour, Shinjuku is the ultimate overwhelming experience.
(text & photo: Asian Geographic)
Shinjuku Station is well connected – it’s on the JR Yamanote Line, the JR Chuo Line, the JR Chuo-Sobu Line, the JR Saikyo Line, the JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line, Odakyu Electric Railway’s Odawara Line, Keio Corporation’s Keio Line, and Keio New Line. Tokyo Metro’s Marunouchi Line and Toei Subway’s Toei Shinjuku Line and Toei Oedo Line all serve Shinjuku too. Throw into the mix a major bus terminal and another train line that opened in the summer of 2008, and you have the mayhem that is Shinjuku: 38 tracks servicing the station, some of which are five levels below the ground.

Over the last 10 years, over 1,200 people have committed suicide on Japan's railway lines (the Chuo Line between Tokyo and Shinjuku being the most popular). Due to the alarming number of suicides, train companies now run advertisements within the trains that promote the beauty and joy of life. To deter other contemplating suicide on the tracks, train companies have even made huge compensation claims against the next-of-kin for the disruption of the rail network.

PRAY:
- For God to make a connection with those Japanese in despair, depression and crisis.
- For the Holy Spirit to show up on the tracks, knock at their hearts, turn their hopelessness into hope, change their minds, tell them their value.
- For God to stop them divinely and meet them in their lowest moments.