As Japan’s suicide rates increase by the year, many organizations have come up with various ideas to prevent it from growing. One of them is installing blue lights on various train stations to calm down people who feel the need to end their life.

It seems that people are increasingly commiting suicide by jumping in front of an arriving train according to East Japan Railway Company. The suicides has risen from 42 in 2006, to 58 in 2007, and then to 68 in 2008. What a gruesome way to kill yourself!

The East Japan Railway Company will install the lights at all of the stations on Tokyo’s Yamanote Line by the end of October - totaling 29 stations. They will be positioned on the ceilings at the end of platforms so if someone had an urge to jump, the light would (hopefully) calm them down and make them reconsider their decision.

This kind of thinking isn’t unusual. Blue lights have been installed throughout Japan’s train stations to decrease the number of suicides. It is, however, unusual for them to be installed at every single station on a train line.

Blue was the choosen color because it supposedly has a calming effect on people. This idea has been disputed a few times but it’s kind of hard to prove what effects a color can have on a person. Don’t we sometimes associate blue with illness or sadness and use the phrase, “Why so blue?” I think it just depends on the person rather than the color having a universal effect on people.

Source:Image-Ryu Photo Studio @ Flickr;Story-Asahi.com