By AFP

A Japanese man committed suicide live on the Internet after heated exchanges with online users daring him to die, reports said Wednesday.

A 24-year-old man in the northern city of Sendai was found dead Tuesday morning in his apartment by local police, who received reports from web users, Yomiuri Shimbun said.

The man, who lived alone, had been on extended sick leave from his job since August and had posted complaints about his work, Sankei Shimbun said.

The man began to broadcast images of himself on live streaming service Ustream on Sunday night, announcing his plan to kill himself and discussing his views about life.

After a break, his broadcast resumed early Tuesday and he hanged himself in his apartment at around 5:30 am (2030 GMT Monday), Sankei said.

His broadcast received many messages, with some web users encouraging him to kill himself quickly, while others urged him to desist.

Ustream stopped the broadcast after 6:00 am Tuesday, following reports from an increasing number of viewers, Yomiuri said.

Local police could not immediately comment on the reports.

Japan has one of the world's highest suicide rates, accounting for more than 32,000 deaths last year, the 12th consecutive year to exceed 30,000 deaths.

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