A popular website claiming to serve Japanese homemakers in their 30s who want their husbands dead has its contents compiled into a book but has since met with readers' disapproval.

According to Lianhe Zaobao, the book title which shares the same name as the website -- "Husband Death Note" is listed under the category of "family self-help" books.

The publicity for the book included a warning similar to the one in the Japanese manga series "Death Note": The husbands whose names are written in the "Husband Death Note" will die within 3 days of reading the book.

This is how the book looks like:

Translation of words on pink sleeve: "I use my husband's toothbrush to wash the toilet every day."

Also in the book: I also use his towel to clean the floor. While doing so, I happened to chance upon a spider, and so I just picked it up put it in his pillowcase.

According to Zaobao, the words that appear most frequently in the book were "go away and die", "I wish my husband would just die now", and "oh god of death, I beg of you, please kill my husband off in a car crash".

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"Husband Death Note" website

Sounds morbid, huh?

Well, the book is actually a compilation of selected posts from the 2-year-old website, which currently has more than 10,000 members and attracts 700,000 to 800,000 pageviews every day,

For unhappy housewives in Japan deeply frustrated with their husbands, it has turned out to be a hugely popular outlet for them to vent their darkest thoughts anonymously on the Internet.

The words greeting visitors to the site read "I wish my husband will die immediately. I think of it every single day."

Visitors are welcomed to write "death notes" noting their husbands' transgressions, and how they wish their husbands would die.

An example given by the site is "he fools around too much, uses too much money, doesn't think of the family at all, doesn't help out with housework at all, he's bearable only when he's outside".

The top post that comprises 3 simple lines has been viewed more than 288,000 times.

Translation: (Eternal sleep) 2016-4-28. My husband finally died. He boozed, fell, and just like that, he died.

Low ratings for the book

The book garnered a mere 8 5-star reviews on Japan's Amazon page. In contrast, there were 30 1-star reviews for it, the lowest rating that can be given for a product.

Translation: While the various comments try to make sense of it, I simply view it as entertainment. I laughed throughout while reading the book.

Translation: (A book that wishes for the deaths of people.) I can't bring myself to laugh at all. Even if I don't think this way, I will still be affected by the negativity of these people whose thoughts are collected in this book. If there are families in precarious situations, this book will unfortunately further pressure the families. While it's true that stupid things happen on the Internet, they are now presented in this book. I doubt the humanity of the editor who simply thought that the book is funny and can make people laugh. Both good and bad husbands have their loved ones as well.

Translation: (The editor wants single guys to read this book.) I read this book as the editor wants single guys to read it. The book allows the reader to realise the 'ugliness' of Japanese women. It also explains why international marriages with Japanese women is one of the world's lowest.

Grievances of Japanese wives

According to Zaobao, the publishing company Takarajimasha explained the phenomenon as a hidden aspect of Japanese society, where some Japanese women choose to endure their husbands' infidelity, alcoholism or gambling over the years, for the sake of keeping up appearances of having a blissful marriage.

Once they are able to express their grievances online, all their suppressed anger and frustrations were unleashed. And while there may be some husbands who are aware of their wives' frustrations, they probably never expect that their wives will wish them dead.

The viciousness of the contributors' tone are disturbing, but it's hard to ascertain how true the contents are given their anonymity.

Perhaps it's best to heed the advice of Shinigami, the creator of the website and the editor of the book, who spoke out in response to questions in an interview:

"Truthfully speaking, I'm not sure if the posts written are real or not. I can't possibly meet each of the contributors and verify their identities. That's why to a certain extent, the site can be seen as entertainment."

Top image via Danne-shine.com