Reuters AlertNet Lite - Five Japanese dead in possible group suicide

Reuters AlertNet Full site

NEWSDESK

Five Japanese dead in possible group suicide

16 Apr 2007 09:42:12 GMT
Source: Reuters

TOKYO, April 16 (Reuters) - Five people were found dead in a parked car in Japan on Monday, the latest suspected case in the Japanese phenomenon of group suicides among people who meet online.

Three men and two women, all believed to be in their 30s, were found in a car parked by a river bank in Shiga prefecture, some 365 km (230 miles) miles west of Tokyo, a police spokesman said.

It was not immediately clear if the group had left any kind of suicide note, but three charcoal stoves were found in the car. Burning charcoal generates carbon monoxide, a poisonous gas.

An increasing number of suicide Web sites have appeared in recent years in Japan, where the suicide rate is one of the highest among industrialised nations.

Experts say the sites attract those who are afraid to die alone, and police say the number of people who died in group suicide pacts after meeting online totalled 56 in 2006, down from a record 91 in 2005.

No religious prohibition exists against taking one's life in Japan, where suicide was once a way to escape failure or save loved ones from embarrassment or financial loss.

The number of Japanese who committed suicide in the first half of 2006 fell by nearly 8 percent from the same period the year before, a drop that one official said reflected the improving economy.

A total of 14,828 people committed suicide from January to June last year, down from 16,082 in the same period of 2005, according to Health Ministry data.

AlertNet news is provided by

Email this article Send comments

Topics

• Women

MORE >>

NGO latest

• National Study on Child Abuse reveals widespread abuse of girls and boys in India
Save the Children - International Alliance

• Christian Aid comment on 5 April Gleneagles event
Christian Aid - UK

• Governments must invest to help poor people adapt to climate change
CARE International - UK

• Beware of hidden strings on EU's offer on trade
Christian Aid - UK

• £4 million Comic Relief grant funds education for 60,00 African girls
ActionAid - UK

MORE >>

Latest news

• Five Japanese dead in possible group suicide

• Police probe if Indian cancer patient was raped

• South Korea may delay rice aid to North: report

• Moderate quake jolts Japan, five injured

• Japan, China bask in summit success -- not friendship

MORE >>

Last updated:Mon Apr 16 09:42:46 2007