Cold factoid: Japanese suicide rate in 2003 = 34,427

Itai! It's apparently not just in useless high-tech tomfoolery that JAPan ranks number one in the world. Bested only by sumo, suicide is a national sport in Japan (second only to sumo and J-League) and practised widely among unhappy kids who failed their entrance exams. Ritual suicide has its humble beginnings during the Edo period when dishonourable samurai who brought great shame to their han (clan) had to perform self-disembowelment in front of the tonosama (JAPanese king of the castle). Of course puncturing your tummy with a sharp knife can get painful quickly, so the honourable second whacked your head off with a samurai sword before the pain got out of hand.