Japan Finance Minister Matsushita found dead at home in possible suicide: police

Japan Times ^ | September 10, 2012

[DeaconBenjamin]

Japanese financial services minister Tadahiro Matsushita was found dead at his residence in Tokyo on Monday, police said, adding they suspect the country's top financial regulator committed suicide.

The police have yet to disclose details about the death of Matsushita, 73.

A member of the People's New Party, the coalition partner of the ruling Democratic Party of Japan, Matsushita served concurrently as postal privatization minister.

Matsushita was a five-term member of the House of Representatives from Kagoshima Prefecture.

[dfwgator]

Ruh Roh!

[EggsAckley]

Hara Kiri? Sounds like.

[gov_bean_ counter]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Seppuku

... or a reasonable facsimile thereof.

[palmer]

Too bad that our... never mind.

[Jonty30]

That might indicate that Japan’s problems are bigger than people are thinking.

The only way out is to do what Iceland did. There are no gradual solutions here.

[PapaBear3625]

Japanese stock markets will probably be jittery until the show drops.

[GeronL]

They allowed children (even preteens) to become sex objects and kiddie porn possession is legal in Tokyo and Nagano. If they had any honor a lot more of them should be doing this.

[generally]

I’m waiting to hear more on this. Could be lots of things. Could be guilt over some scandal about to erupt. He could have had some incurable disease.

My spidey senses tingle, though, considering the financial situation in the world today and the fact that he was Finance Minister for a major player on the world stage.

Let’s see how it develops....

[353FMG]

>The only way out is to do what Iceland did.<

.
What Iceland did was possible because Iceland has a racially homogeneous population with a common will to survive.

The US is more balkanized than the Balkans ever were, and you know the problems they had. Our celebrated “diversity” will be our downfall — every little ethnic group will only look out for themselves and national unity will be and is a thing of the past.

[Arthurio]

I wonder if this was an Arkansas style “suicide” - 4 or 5 shot gun blasts to the back of the head, or tied to a railroad track or something like that

[LibLieSlayer]

I agree with what you were going to say.

LLS

[Gay State Conservative]

That might indicate that Japan’s problems are bigger than people are thinking.

Exactly what I was thinking.When a Japanese is in charge of something that turns really bad they're known to kill themselves in order to maintain "honor".

[SnuffaBolshevik]

Anyone who isn’t well along in their preparations needs to pick up the pace.

There won’t be many more more Red Flags likes this before it’s too late.

[TurboZamboni]

Too bad none of all our czars have any honor.

[rmlew]

Seppuku takes 2 people and quite messy. The individual slices open his belly with a knife or short sword. The second beheads him. I've seen pictures supposedly of Yukio Mishima. His second did not proper decapitate him, tring a few times. A third nationalist fixed the situation. A bloody mess all around.
No one has done this since then. Still, if someone wants to send a tanto to Greenspand, Bernake, and Geithner....

[SunkenCiv]

• It's Amazing How Much More Optimistic People Are In Asia
• Mystery over whereabouts of China's leader-in-waiting Xi Jinping

Thanks DeaconBenjamin.

[tumblindice]

I remember when this happened. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukio_Mishima the most recent (?) public self-knifing. By the way the guy who attempted (unsuccessfully) to behead Mishima went on to a successful career in Hollywood. Domo arigato, Mr. Miagi. Domo arigato ....

[Jonty30]

Im saying that is the solution, but you’re probably correct in that people are going to fight to minimize their personal losses and that will cost more in the end.

[gaijin]

Correct. His first kaishyaku in fact was his homosexual lover who was not a swordsman —ended up hitting his in the shoulder.

Mishima was in agony and another member of the TateNoKai (a long-time kendo expert) seized the blade and promptly lopped off his head.

The first boy went on to become a famous weird celebrity and then later got into quite a bit of trouble.