The National Association of Juvenile Guidance Counselors said Thursday it will monitor the contents of online dating services in order to prevent minors from falling victim to crime, particularly juvenile prostitution.

Starting June 1, 112 juvenile counselors and other volunteers across Japan will conduct so-called cyber patrols.

If a counselor finds people under the age of 18 using online dating sites, they will alert the minors by e-mail.

The counselor will meanwhile contact operators of online dating sites if they fail to confirm the age of users or do not stipulate the legal age for using their services in accordance with the law.

The national association conducted cyber patrols on a trial basis in October, November, February and March, sending a total of 244 e-mail messages to minors and 82 e-mail messages to the operators of 63 online dating services.

The association said the patrols facilitated improvements in the content of 25 Web sites and led to the closure of 13 Web sites.

The Web sites in question, accessed mainly via mobile phone, provide bulletin boards and chat services calling for companions. The Web sites are viewed as a breeding ground for juvenile prostitution.