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The Aokigahara Forest is a lonely place to die. So dense is the vegetation at the foot of Japan's Mount Fuji, it is all too easy to disappear among the evergreens and never be seen again. Each year the authorities remove as many as 100 bodies found hanging at the country's suicide hotspot - but others can lie undiscovered for years. Exactly why so many choose to end their lives in the forest remains something of a mystery, though it has been suggested that the first among them were inspired by a novel set there. Azusa Hayano has studied and...

Oscar-winning composer John Barry, the man behind many of the iconic James Bond theme tunes, has died at the age of 77.

Tokyo (CNN) -- Japan's Mount Shinmoe erupted again on Wednesday, spewing more lava, smoke and ash through the area, the country's meteorological agency said. The volcano erupted twice on Wednesday, at 5:25 a.m. and 10:47 a.m., Japan's Meteorological Agency said. Since January 26 when it broke its decades-long slumber, the volcano has erupted seven times, the agency said. For many outside Japan, Mount Shinmoe is known for its role in the 1967 James Bond movie "You Only Live Twice," where it served as the lair for the villain, Ernst Blofeld. In the nearby town of Takaharu, ash blanketed cars, houses...

Wrangling over the fate of the debt-ridden studio had thrown its plans to make new movies, including the next 007 film, into disarray. The 23rd Bond movie had been due for release in 2012, the 50th anniversary of Ian Fleming's spy character's first outing in Dr No.

AOKIGAHARA FOREST, Japan (CNN) -- Aokigahara Forest is known for two things in Japan: breathtaking views of Mount Fuji and suicides. Also called the Sea of Trees, this destination for the desperate is a place where the suicidal disappear, often never to be found in the dense forest.