
Suicide is the latest to occur in public view at downtown Tokyo rail hub.
Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station is the busiest rail hub not just in Tokyo, but in the entire world. With nearly a dozen train and subway lines converging at the west side of Tokyo’s downtown district, Shinjuku station has, by some counts, as many as 200 exits, but one of them became the site of a shocking tragedy on Monday.
At approximately 12:15 on the afternoon of January 6, a call was placed to 110, Japan’s police emergency number. The caller reported that “a young man with a muffler hooked around his neck [is] about to jump,” with the other end of his scarf tied to a pedestrian overpass that leads over a busy road and connects the south face of Shinjuku Station to an outdoor plaza known as Southern Terrace.
By the time officers from the Tokyo Metropolitan Police arrived on the scene, the man, later confirmed to be in his 30s, had jumped and gone into cardiac arrest, and he was pronounced dead by hospital staff at the facility he was rushed to. Investigators from the TMP’s Shinjuku Precinct say the man was suffering from mental illness, and an acquaintance, who had been dining with the man just before his suicide, told officers that he had said “I’m going to die after this,” during their meal.
This marks the second time in recent years that the overpass has been the site of a suicide, following a self-immolation incident in 2014.
If you or someone you know is in Japan and having suicidal thoughts, there are people here to help. Click here for more info.
Source: Sankei Shimbun via Yahoo! Japan News via Jin, Hachima Kiko
Top image: Pakutaso
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

Man in Tokyo slices own stomach with knife near one of the city’s busiest train stations
Tokyo’s busiest train station partially evacuated as passageways, platforms fill with smoke【Video】
Shitty Shinjuku – 30-meter streak of human turd spotted in Tokyo’s busiest train station
Tokyo’s busiest train stations have a new, free, English-compatible navigation app
Tokyo starts massive renovation project for entrances to the world’s busiest train station
We recommend not buying one pack of Japan’s new convenience store corn soup-flavor fried chicken
Japan’s double-decker portable rice cooker/bento maker is better than ever with new version
Ohaw? Ruibe? Pocche? While traveling in Japan’s north, we try Ainu cuisine for the first time
Nagoya’s famous Shinkansen platform noodle shop has other, better branches nearby
Narita Airport Transit & Stay Program returns after six years with free tours and festival experiences
Winnie the Pooh cosplays as Yuzuru Hanyu for new plushie collaboration
Osaka Starbucks has one of the city’s coolest photo vantage points, but it’s going away soon
Wait, some Shinkansen trains already have private booths that only cost 1,500 yen for an hour?
Anime fans can now wear a Seiko watch inspired by Japan’s One Piece Shinkansen
Sushi Bus: Japan’s first conveyor-belt bus lets you eat sushi while sightseeing around Tokyo
7-year-old boy left behind on Mt. Fuji by his own dad
12-year-old British girl who went missing in Tokyo found safe after visiting anime sites around Yokohama
Studio Ghibli unveils new interactive stationery dioramas that bring anime movies to life on your desk
Studio Ghibli composer Jo Hisaishi just set three Guinness Records
7-Eleven Japan brings back best-selling flat croissant that became a hit on social media
Foreign hiker on Mt. Fuji loses consciousness and dies, becoming climbing season’s second fatality
Universal Studios Japan partners with manga horror master Junji Ito’s Tomie
Japanese workers reveal their top five mysterious rules they wish would disappear【Survey】
Air-conditioned dress shirts arrive in Japan to save working professionals from sweltering heat
Pokémon Center Online designates first Pokémon items that will require Japanese ID card to buy
Japanese toilet aims to attract foreign tourists but not everybody is happy about it
Tokyo’s newest viral dessert is like a Japanese parfait inside a bread bun [Taste test]
New Japanese vending machine at Shinkansen station sells cups of ice on platform
Study finds hundreds of people in Indonesia legally named after Naruto, Inuyasha, other anime stars
Japanese vending machine sells freshly squeezed lemon juice with a futuristic light show
Japan announces sudden 400-percent increase in visa fees for foreigners entering the country
Japan’s human washing machines will go on sale to general public, demos to be held in Tokyo
Studio Ghibli has a new anime out, and there’s only one place in the world where you can see it
Starbucks Japan releases new drinkware and goods for Valentine’s Day
Starbucks Japan releases new sakura goods and drinkware for cherry blossom season 2026
Japan’s newest Shinkansen has no seats…or passengers [Video]
Tokyo subway installing new ticket gates that don’t accept payment through Suica or other IC cards
Japanese ninja certification exam attracts 131 candidates from Japan and abroad
Salomon releases Japan-exclusive Mt. Fuji hiking gear that doubles as an amazing souvenir
Put sesame oil in your coffee? Japanese maker says it’s the best way to start your day【Taste test】
Two die after man sets himself alight on bullet train in Kanagawa Prefecture
Downtown Tokyo losing another arcade with closure of Shinjuku Taito Station
Skynet sends a Terminator to Tokyo’s Shinjuku Station to future-freak-out commuters【Photos】
Naked woman runs through one of Tokyo’s busiest train stations, police say she’s not a criminal
Tokyo train stations to host Super Mario box/character art displays to celebrate 35th anniversary
Woman decides to go for a walk on the busiest train tracks at Shibuya Station【Video】
Anime eyes cover Tokyo’s busiest station for awesome Netflix ad【Photos】
Strange bird outside Shinjuku Station looks like a reincarnated salaryman
Navigate your way through Japan’s busiest train stations with Google Street View
Tokyo Station’s new guidance robot is extremely terrifying, pretty helpful【Video】
You can go surprisingly far on a single train leaving from Tokyo Station
End-of-the-line exploring in Japan: Visiting Hashimoto Station
Drunken salaryman’s solution to barely missing the last train: Ride on the outside of it
Morons caught blasting adult-video audio inside one of Tokyo’s busiest train stations