The police said they found four charcoal stoves and several suicide notes in the rented station wagon, leading them to suspect the seven committed suicide together by carbon monoxide poisoning.

If it is confirmed that the deaths had been facilitated by "suicide Web sites," where people seek advice, information and others to commit suicide with, it would be the largest number of deaths in a single such case so far in Japan, according to the National Police Agency.

In addition to the grisly discovery, two women were found dead in a rented car in Kanagawa Prefecture around the same time after apparently killing themselves in the same manner.

Less than a month ago, four youths were found to have committed suicide by burning charcoal in a car parked about 5 km from the Minano parking lot.

The Japan Times Weekly: Oct. 16, 2004
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