Journal of Forensic Medicine

Harakiri: Two Cases of Self-Stabbing Suicide

Abstract

Ivana Milosevic, Drazen Cuculic, Antun Ferencic*

Harakiri is a form of Japanese ritual suicide. A sharp instrument is used to inflict a wound to the abdomen, causing disembowelment and slow and painful death. The two cases of suicide by harakiri described in this article are the only cases that happened over a period of 20 years in the wider Rijeka area. One victim suffered from depression with psychotic episodes, whereas more detailed background information for the other victim wasn't available