Japanese man kills himself live on Internet

Japanese man kills himself live on Internet

2010-11-12 01:23:08 GMT+7 (ICT)

TOKYO (BNO NEWS) -- A Japanese man decided to stream himself committing suicide live after Internet users reportedly encouraged him to take his life following a tense exchange of words, local media reported Thursday.

The 24-year-old man was found dead in his Sendai, Japan apartment on Tuesday morning after viewers alerted local authorities. The Ustream viewers were able to inform authorities.

According to the Yomiuri Shimbun newspaper, the man, who has remained unnamed, announced his intention last week after facing several hectic weeks with problems at his work. Since August, he had been suspended from his duties at the bank were he had been working.

The man began his live stream on Sunday evening, and while some viewers tried to talk him out of it, others encouraged his suicide. Apparently, some viewers thought it to be a hoax.

According to the police, the man tried hanging himself from the balcony of his apartment at around 4 a.m. local time on Tuesday morning, and later at 5:30 a.m. in another place. After the incident, viewers began discussing whether it was authentic.

In 2009, more than 32,000 Japanese people committed suicide, and as a similar suicide number is likely to remain for the current year, Japan remains among the countries with the highest suicide rates.

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