ABC Radio Australia wrote:
Japanese police say they have saved at least four people who had been planning to commit suicide with the help of internet providers.
Last year police asked internet companies in Japan to hand over information on people they believed might be about to kill themselves, on the basis of notes they had posted on internet sites.
The National Police Agency says it has managed to trace 64 people who had posted online, including an individual who left a note on the Education Ministry's website.
Four were saved when police arrived at the location where the individuals were planning to kill themselves, while one was found dead.
Police say they managed to persuade 59 of the remaining 39 individuals to abandon their suicide plans, and say the remaining 20 were hoaxes.
The NPA says information is now regularly handed over by many internet providers, in accordance with guidelines on information disclosure drawn up in 2005.
But it says some providers, including the operator of ''2 Channel'' -- the largest online bulletin board in Japan -- have refused to comply.
