Suicide is serious. It's horrible. It's touched me personally as well as many people in Japan, which has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. The ruling political part decided to take action to help prevent it: with a slogan and cute idols.
Earlier this month, the Democratic Party of Japan unveiled a new suicide prevent slogan: "Anata mo GKB47 sengen!" (あなたもGKB47宣言!) or, roughly, "Proclaim yourself as part of GKB47!" The slogan seemed inspired by one of Japan's most popular bubblegum pop bands, causing some politicians to dub the slogan as "deeply inappropriate". It even made country's prime minister uncomfortable.
According to Japan Today, the "GK" refers to "Gatekeeper", which in Japan is used to refer to those who notice signs of depression in others and helps them seek treatment. The "B" refers to "Basic", as if to infer that this is a basic responsibility that is shared by all. The "47" refers to Japan's forty-seven prefectures. (Kotaku)
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