Forwarded From: William Knowles <erehwon@kizmiaz.dis.org>
TOKYO (December 27, 1998 8:52 p.m. EST http://www.nandotimes.com)
Japanese police are gearing up to tackle a recent onslaught of computer
crimes, including illegal hacking into government computers and fraud on
the Internet, a daily newspaper reported Monday.
The National Police Department is to set up 13 special investigation teams
against hackers and two other teams against computer-related terrorism,
the mass-circulation Yomiuri Shimbun said.
Police plan to spend 1.95 billion yen ($17 million) for the measures in
the year starting next April.
In Japan, the number of computer crimes last year stood at 262 cases and
has multiplied eight times in the past four years.
The report came after Japan was shocked by an Internet-based delivery
service that supplied cyanide capsules for people wanting to commit
suicide.
A 24-year-old woman died earlier this month after taking cyanide, which
police believe she obtained from the Internet service.
A 27-year-old man suspected of running the Internet site and allegedly
mailing cynaide to the woman also killed himself on Dec. 15.
Japanese police Sunday raided the man's home in Sapporo, northern Japan,
seizing a desktop computer, about 570 floppy disks and two hard drives.
The man, whose name was withheld, gave extensive advice on suicide methods
on the Internet and some young adults visited his Web site, the Mainichi
Shimbun said, quoting investigators.
The Web site was entitled "Dr. Kiriko's Examination Room," in reference to
a character in a popular comic series, the daily said.
During a 50-day period beginning November 5, a total of 21 people, all
believed to be young adults, visited the home page, the investigators were
quoted as saying.
-o-
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Received on Thu Dec 31 13:17:12 1998