....in some wars you have suicides/murder/etc .....it was ''part'' of the Japanese culture.... it seems very telling what the war and nazis did to Germany for Rommel/etc to commit suicide....I am not aware of Germany having a culture of suicide
That has to do with the Christian traditions of German culture and the churches condemning suicide as one of the worst sins one could possibly commit.
However, it is really besides the point here:
Rommel's suicide was in no way comparable to a Japanese officer committing ritualistic Seppuku by his own volition and so as to die with honor. On the contrary, he was coerced in the vilest manner.
The choice he was given was:
a) Commit suicide and in return we'll make up some lies about you dying of war wounds, give you a state funeral and take care of your family.
or
b) Face the People's Court, get publicly humiliated, sentenced to death and hung and then we'll come after your family and comrades as well.
He may have physically committed the act of swallowing the poison, making it technically suicide, but to me it was murder.
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