Microsoft's Japanese community site Xbox Friends has served for a long while as a meeting point and social network for ( the relatively few) Xbox 360 fans from the Archipelago of the raising sun.

Unfortunately all good things must come to an end (especially when commercial success isn't exactly achieved) and today the site suddenly posted a notice advising users that it's committing seppuku.

From today onward no further registrations will be accepted. The bulletin board will stop updating on August the 20th, and one month for now, on August the 31st, all services will cease for good.

No explanation has been given for the closure, besides the usual "thanks for understanding and for your patronage." It's certainly a sad day for Xbox in Japan, but has there ever been a happy one?