‘Social media suicide’ in spotlight after Japan ‘Twitter killer’
TOKYO: The grisly beheading of nine young people lured by a suspected serial killer after tweeting suicidal thoughts has sparked debate about the use of social media in Japan, which has one of the world’s highest suicide rates.
The suspect, Takahiro Shiraishi, dubbed the ‘ Twitter killer’, reportedly lured his victims — aged between 15 and 26 — by trawling social media, and the gruesome discovery has prompted the government to consider tightening internet regulations to restrict suicidal posts.
But some experts say social media provides an important means of emotional release in a country grappling with strong cultural taboos around suicide and depression and caution against any clampdown.
Police apprehended Shiraishi while investigating the disappearance of a 23-year- old woman, who had reportedly tweeted she wanted to take her own life.
“I’m looking for someone to die with me”, she tweeted using the hashtag ‘suicide recruitment’.
Like his other victims, Shiraishi reportedly used social media to draw her in, telling her he could help her commit suicide or even die alongside her.
But Twitter also proved to be his downfall, as police persuaded a young woman to contact him via social media to arrange a meeting, enabling investigators to trap him.
Four days after the bodies were found in Shiraishi’s apartment in a Tokyo suburb last month, Twitter unveiled new rules stating that users ‘ may not promote or encourage suicide or self-harm’ but it stopped short of banning tweets expressing a wish to kill oneself.
For its part, the government is considering tightening regulations on ‘ inappropriate’ websites on suicide, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said last week at a meeting with ministers.
Suga added the government should also boost support for young people who post desperate messages online, but did not offer further details.
Japan has the highest suicide rate of any Group of Seven ( G7) industrialised nation, with more than 20,000 people taking their own lives each year.
While the overall suicide rate has been falling since its 2003 peak, it has continued to rise among young adults and schoolchildren — the most likely users of social media. — AFP