Logan Paul’s Video Slammed As “Totally Unacceptable” By Japanese Suicide Charity
4 January 2018, 16:02 | Updated: 4 January 2018, 16:23
It's a move that should come as little surprise
The head of the Tokyo-based youth suicide prevention group Ova, Jiro Ito, has told The Japan Times that Logan Paul’s recent video, in which he films a vlog inside an area known as the 'suicide forest', “raises serious issues from the point of suicide prevention.”
Ito also emphasises that Logan's video violates guidelines from the World Health Organisation on how the media should report on the issue of suicide.
The head of Ova was particularly unhappy with the jovial way in which Logan acted throughout the video - something that has been a particular focus of backlash. Jiro Ito stated that, “it is totally unacceptable to show someone who was driven to suicide as if it’s humorous content."
Japan has a very high number of suicides each year, with Billboard reporting that: "among industrial nations, Japan has one of the highest suicide rates, with more than 20,000 people taking their own lives each year."
Ova is a Japanese Specified Nonprofit Organization which provides "suicide preventing systems using search related advertisements". They use social media searches and ads to identify people who may be in need of help. You can learn more about them on their official website, here.
If you have been affected by the issues raised in this article, please visit The Samaritans for immediate help, guidance or friendly advice.
