Update: More suicide letters from bullied kids.

A total of 36 suicide letters have reached the Ministry of Education since the first one was publicized two weeks ago. Some could be hoaxes--like the one written by a lady employee at the Nagano municipal education board, pretending to be a suicidal teen--but others were actually signed by real kids at real schools. Ministry's scrambling to find these kids to stop them from their fatal jump. Like most things in Japan, it looks like suicide reportage is quickly gathering momentum as the new trendy thing to do among depressed kids. This time, though, it's not about portable digital pets or cell phone straps. It's a communal cry for help for deep-rooted societal woes.