Regarding Joseph O'Leary's June 2 letter, "What's causing the train suicides?": If the woman of retirement age whom he refers to is the same woman I know in Tokyo, the ward office has impounded her salary because she hasn't paid her ward taxes for the past five years. National taxes have been deducted at the source by her employer.

Because she lives in a rented accommodation and has no tangible assets that it knows of, the ward is attempting to collect what she owes in the only way possible.

kathleen weller

sanmu, chiba

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