[Dan Evans]

Interestingly, nations with very low murder rates (Japan, Switzerland) have high suicide rates, while nations with high murder rates (Mexico) have very low suicide rates.

That is interesting. Here's something else: I once read that Japanese consider a murder-suicide within a family to be two suicides. So if a man kills his family and then himself they are all tallied as suicides.

[marktwain]

I once read that Japanese consider a murder-suicide within a family to be two suicides.

Yes, this is true, although it could well be more than two. It is called a "family suicide". However, it doesn't affect the rates very much, because the total number of "family suicides" is relatively low compared to the total number of suicides.