Japan moves to restrict information on Internet.

TOKYO _ Japan announced measures Wednesday aimed at preventing Web sites from carrying illegal or harmful information such as on group suicides and homemade bombs.

One of the proposed measures includes creation of a procedure for police to demand providers reveal information on webmasters of sites encouraging suicide, and promotion of filtering software to prevent children from seeing sites with harmful content.

An information-technology safety committee set up by the related governmental bodies is expected to decide on the measures officially as early as this week to reflect them on fiscal 2006 budget requests.

The measures also include enhancement of the so-called cyber patrol, or monitoring of information on the Internet by police in an attempt to identify those planning group suicides.

As for filtering software, the proposal calls for:

_Studying use of such software by central and local government offices, and promoting its introduction as quickly as possible.

_Working with schools to encourage households with children to use such software.

_Studying and developing software to filter content on cell phone sites and moving images.

In July, the Internal Affairs and Communication Ministry will establish a committee to look into enhancement of providers' self-imposed regulations, while in August, the Economy, Trade and Industry Ministry will set up a committee to discuss the business of operators providing information on the Internet.

The measures include compilation of a manual on how to coordinate between consultation services offered by the central and local governments and by nonprofit organizations. A special counseling service at the National Police Agency should be considered, according to the proposed measures.

The measures were drawn up following the June 10 bombing at a high school in Hikari, Japan. The 18-year-old male suspect is believed to have learned how to make bombs on the Internet.

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