NAGANO -- A 13-year-old boy hanged himself at his home and a note found at the scene said he had been bullied by four schoolmates, it was learned Jan. 9. The boy's mother found her son hanging from the eaves of their home in Suzaka, Nagano Prefecture, shortly before 11 p.m. Jan. 7, one day before the start of the new school term, and called an ambulance.The boy, whose name was withheld, was pronounced dead from strangulation soon after being taken to a hospital, local police said. He was a first-year student at Tokiwa Junior High School in Suzaka. A note was found in his pocket that said he was "bullied by those four people," sources said.Takayoshi Nishizawa, principal of the junior high school, said he has not heard of any bullies at the school. The boy's parents also said he had appeared to be in a normal state of mind and they have no idea why he killed himself.
