The Mount Mihara Suicides,In 1933 a Japanese student Kioko Matsumoto climbed the cliffs of Mount Mih
The Mount Mihara Suicides,In 1933 a Japanese student Kioko Matsumoto climbed the cliffs of Mount Mihara on the Japanese island of Izu Oshima. The still active volcano had an observation point from which people could view the fiery lava of the volcanic crater. Matsumoto was lesbian, but a relationship with another female was forbidden by Japanese society at the time. Overwhelmed with grief and sadness, Matsumoto committed suicide by leaping into the fiery crater.Newspapers all over Japan reported the suicide, sparking off a bizarre occurrence in history. Before Matsumoto’s suicide Mount Mihara was a common place for the occasional suicide, but the hype created by the press sparked a suicide obsession in Japan. Over the next year, 944 people leapt into the Mount Mihara crater. Hundreds more would follow in the coming years. By World War II the volcano had come to symbolize unattainable love, and thus became the favorite suicide spot of couples. Until the outbreak of World War II, around 45 couples a years would leap into the fiery pit. The suicides ended around the 1950’s when the Japanese government made drastic reforms to their mental healthcare system. -- source link
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