Hitoshi, a 21-year-old university student who declined to give his first name, is a recovering Internet addict. ``I was crazy indeed. Once I realised I was addicted it was too late. I couldn't help myself,'' said Hitoshi, who finally got therapy after having to repeat a year of studies for failing to attend classes. ``I couldn't stop Internet chatting, it's not real, no one cared whether I told lies or not. I was living in virtual life.'' Hitoshi now recognises he was ``trapped in the Internet virtual world'' and can see people face to face again. ``I think I can confront reality now,'' he says.But psychologist Takashi Sumioka says the number of victims with a morbid dependence on the Internet is rising.``I have 18 patients right now. Most of them are prone to a morbid fear of meeting people, thinking logically,'' said Sumioka. He tries to get patients to see real people again through group volunteer work. ``It is very important to take the patient's eyes to the outside world,'' he said.

For those in despair the Internet can be a false friend. Police raided the home of a 27-year-old man last December who was running an Internet suicide service, supplying cyanide on demand.

The virtual suicide service came to light when a 24-year-old woman was found dead after taking cyanide allegedly bought over the Internet for 30,000 yen ($260 dollars). The man providing the capsules killed himself on the same day as the female suicide victim. ``There is too much mystery in this case,'' said one police officer. ``Dead men tell no tales.''

The anonymous nature of the Internet nurtures aggressors as well as victims. Police arrested a 30-year-old man on suspicion of posting a message on the Internet, reportedly about a27-year-old female work colleague in whom he was interested . Providing both her name and address, the message read: ``Rape this woman. Reward 300,000 yen ($2,600), deadline is November 30.'' ``I've been interested in her, I want a videotape of her,'' the man allegedly told police after his arrest, according to local reports.

``We try to delete inappropriate messages or sites when we find them but it is very complicated to delete individuals' own home pages,'' said an official at Internet provider Infoweb. ``If we get a complaint we try to send a warning message. But we rely on the users' morals,'' he said.