SUICIDE IN JAPAN AND IN THE WEST - EVIDENCE FOR DURKHEIM THEORY

A recent study by Mamuro Iga relies upon psychological and attitudinal survey data to argue that contemporary Japan displays high levels of altruistic, fatalistic, and anomic suicide. We try to corroborate Iga using 1980 ecological data from the 47 prefectures of Japan. Our findi ngs are that the relationships between Japanese suicide rates and indi cators of social integration-migration, percent religious, percent mar ried, and the divorce rate-are generally reversed from similar relatio nships found in the West. These results are consistent with altruistic -fatalistic suicide. Per capita income is related to suicide in a way similar to that found in the West, consistent with Iga's view that the Japanese are subject to anomic suicide due to unregulated aspirations . There are substantial differences between the correlates of male and female suicide rates. Implications for theory and research are discus sed.