Japanese Man's Online Hanging: Suicide as Spectator Sport?

(CBS) Has suicide become a spectator sport?

It's not a crazy question. Earlier this week, web users watched live video of a Japanese man as he hanged himself, the New York Post reported. Some dared the 24-year-old to kill himself, according to the paper.

The man had announced his intention to kill himself in a chat room last week, after complaining about his job at a bank, the Daily Telegraph reported. Some people posted messages urging him to stop. But others egged him on, urging him to get it over with - though some may have believed they were watching a hoax, according to the paper.

The man's first attempt failed. But he tried again and succeeded. His body was found around 5:30 a.m. Tuesday local time, according to the Daily Mail.

Japan has one of the highest suicide rates in the world. In 2003, the most recent year for which statistics are available, the rate among men was 36.5 for every 100,000, according to the World Health Association. The rate for men in the U.S. was 17.6 per 100,000.