atonement

昨日の衝撃的なニュース。WSJはatonementということばを使って、日本でこれまでに起きたatonementの歴史を振り返っていました。Kawadaくん、これはどのような意味を持つことばなのでしょうか。（UG）

Suicide Is Sometimes Means of Atonement in Japan

Though his research broke new frontiers in the 21st century science of stem cells, the end of Yoshiki Sasai’s life resonated in Japanese tradition.

From medieval times to the present day, public figures embroiled in scandal have sometimes chosen to take their own lives as a means of atonement.

Dr. Sasai, deputy director of the Riken Center for Developmental Biology, was found dead Tuesday after hanging himself, police said. Riken said Dr. Sasai left suicide notes, but their contents and the exact motive for his suicide weren’t immediately known. The scientist was co-author of two stem-cell papers in the journal Nature that were later retracted.

http://blogs.wsj.com/japanrealtime/2014/08/05/suicide-is-sometimes-means-of-atonement-in-japan/