I want to write very briefly about the abrupt end of the life of Dr Yasuo Kawasaki who is known to be an active researcher on DNA replication in Osaka University. Early in this month he committed suicide in the laboratory (headed by Professor Akio Sugino) apparently taking a potent poison, according to the police report. The reason for this very sad event is entirely unknown. Many of those who met Dr Kawasaki in the Yeast Genetic Forum of Japan held in last month or even in the same week of his death say that he did not show any symptom for such tragic action. He was cheerful, active and kind as ever.
However, Dr Kawasaki was one of the authors for the paper published recently in Journal of Biological Chemistry and withdrawn last month. According to the newspaper, Dr Kawasaki was one of the authors who pointed out and protested that their data were falsified without their knowledge. Apparently the corresponding author altered the original data so that the authors realized such unjust alterations after the paper was published. These are all the knowledge I obtained from the news media. There is no formal report yet from Osaka University what happened to the flaw in the paper and more importantly what was the cause for the death of Dr Kawasaki. People including myself who have known him for many years feel deep sorrow for the abrupt parting under such circumstance. I would like to say more about this, but everything is uncertain.