Japan scandal-tainted minister kills himself: NHK

[kskiska]

Source: Reuters

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan's farm minister, Toshikatsu Matsuoka -- under fire for a series of political funding scandals -- has killed himself, NHK said on Monday.

Earlier, Matsuoka was found unconscious in his room at a residential complex for lawmakers in central Tokyo near parliament, and media reports said he had attempted to hang himself in the room.

(snip)

Media reports have linked Matsuoka to a number of political fund scandals, including a case in which he had declared substantial office expenditures when his office was in fact rent-free, but the minister had repeatedly denied any wrongdoing.

Read more: http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20070528/wl_nm/japan_minister_dc_3

[Name removed]

1. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Selatius]

3. The Bushido Code is not something Bush follows

If you disgrace yourself in centuries past in Japan, you were expected to fall on your own sword.

[kurth]

13. Ah, the fine art of seppuku:

http://www.win.net/ratsnest/archive-articles21/fog0000000384.html

[magellan]

2. Oh the good old honor system. We could use some of that here.

[emilyg]

4. Yep. One can hope.

[Tansy_Gold]

9. If there were true "honor,"

these people would never have committed their crimes.

They only fall on their swords or hang themselves or stab themselves or blow their brains out BECAUSE THEY'VE BEEN CAUGHT.

Would that we had true honor -- in other words, leaders who don't lie, cheat, steal their way into power and then up the ante when they're in.


Tansy Gold

[badgerpup]

17. Ritual suicide is the only way that they can restore their honor...

...not just because they got caught, but because they behaved dishonorably in the first place.

This dishonor may be perceived to spread to and taint some of the lower echelons and subordinates, even if they had nothing to do with original act.

I hope this does not provoke a rush of suicides...
The Japanese still understand honor, and according to my friend, they view suicide differently than Westerners.
It is not necessarily something to be prevented at all costs; sometimes it really IS an option to be considered.

[happygoluckytoyou]

5. IN A RELATED STORY...

dateline Crawford Texas, upon hearing that the farm minister from japan shamed himself and fell on his sword, president dubya dressed in a codpiece and a silk robe fell off his mountain bike. three fart jokes later he was seen clearing brush, noting that "it makes it harder for osama to hide if we cut down all the tall brush"

[aquart]

6. What a fine example he sets.

Would our dishonored would emulate him.

Hara kiri, another fine old custom for the disgraced. And the Romans. They had that falling on the sword thing.

Remember when you could leave a disgraced man alone with a pistol and trust him to blow his brains out?

Honor meant something then.

[Name removed]

7. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[leftofthedial]

8. If there were true honor among the bush cabal thieving liars,

which of them would have to commit suicide?

the list would be damned long--in the thousands at least.

[UpInArms]

10. and to show that only others believe that death

should follow exposure of corruption and lying, Wolfowitz blames the media

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=102&topic_id=2861017&mesg_id=2861017

[FloridaJudy]

11. We could use a little Bushido here

While I don't favor sepuku, I think there was another "honorable" way out for disgraced samurai: they could give away all their possessions and become mendicant monks.

I'm not a vindictive person, so I expect I'd throw a groat or two in Gonzalez/Cheney/Bush/Rice/Wolfowitz/Rove's begging bowl. Or something my dog turned her nose up at (I'm not advocating poisoning: my dog is very fussy). Heck, I would happily pay more taxes to see this!

(edited for grammar)

[Blue_Tires]

12. an example for all government theives to follow

[BrklynLiberal]

14. When I heard this on the radio, my first thought was "DAMN! Too bad BushCo cronies do not do the

same thing."
It would save so much time and money if they would all just fall on their swords.
Of course, DC would be quite desolate if all those who compromised whatever principles they may have ever had actually did kill themselves.

BUT..It just seems so appropriate for BushCO.

It brings to mind the bumper sticker:

AT LEAST NIXON HAD THE DECENCY TO RESIGN!

[johncoby2]

15. If only we would have that kind of courage here.......

[bridgit]

16. honor in service & the perception of it, are clearly matters for other countries other than...

bush amurika

[chelsea0011]

18. Man! What ever happened to resigning to spend more time with

the family? Sad.

[Name removed]

19. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[dysfunctional press]

20. if this kind of thing ever caught on with the cheney mis-administration...

the white house morning crew would find a scene that looked like something out of a stephen king novel.

kewl.