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by mystere from Cypress California

Last Post 12 days, 3 hours Ago


Kazuyoshi Miura's Suicide: A Japanese American's Perspective
Oct 12, 2008 | 12:01 PM
Category: News
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Suicide?  Why?  What happened?  These are just some of the things the public is now wondering about with the news that LAPD delivered this weekend.  Some are wondering why Japanese businessman Kazuyoshi Miura took his own life when he got extradited to the United States to stand trial for the murder of his wife in 1981.  While many of the experts have no answers as to why Miura committed suicide, there is a cultural difference which has not been addressed, which may be a clue as to why Miura committed suicide.

Before I go any further, let me be straight forward here:  I do not condone murder including suicde, nor do I condone getting away with any criminal act.  What Miura did was heinous, and he did go through a trial in Japan for it, under an agreement with the United States.

Now the experts here saw no reason to believe that Miura would take his own life.  However, Miura was able to mask any signs that he would take his own life, partially due to differences between American and Japanese culture.  I have learned from members of my community, the Japanese American community, that Japanese and Japanese American men tend to bottle up their feelings, and not expose them to others at all costs.  I learned about this from Japanese American counselors and Japanese American religious leaders in my community.  Other Asian Americans seem to have similar family patterns.

Miura likely felt insulted when Japanese authorities told him that he would be extradited to the United States to stand trial, when he had already gone through a trial in Japan for the murder of his wife.  He likely held back his frustrations, then made sure the authorities would not suspect that he would take his own life.  Miura likely thought it would be more honorable to take his own life, rather than be a burden to the society while in prison for life.  This is something that no one could have forseen.  In Japan, if one thinks his character is insulted,, it can be devastating enough to the point that he will take his own life for even a small thing.

Now please don't think that I condone what Miura did.  I don't condone Miura's actions.  However, I believe that Miura should have faced his murder trial here instead of Japan; things may have turned out differently, had he been tried here.

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Member Comments Total Comments: 2
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craftyguy read my blog
Oct 13, 2008 | 12:34 PM

too bad OJ wasnt Japanese..with the economy in the shape its in it would save the tax payers money and the victims more grief if all those scum bags took their own lives ..in fact we should encourage it..
Biggerslick read my blog
Oct 13, 2008 | 8:01 PM

I hate OJ but love Clamato's
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mystere

I'm a life long North Orange County California resident. I work behind the scenes in radio, and I understand the pressures that the folks at Fox 11 and My 13 news go through to do a live show professionally. I don't like it when politicians try to make our government bigger than it is now. I oppose many of the things the Democrats are doing, because in my thoughts, they are selling out the public to nothing but garbage. In other areas, I'm an Anaheim Angels fan. McCain/Palin 2008! Obama's in for a "caining"!

Member Since: 10/17/2007


 

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