Stardom’s Hana Kimura committed suicide in May after she was a victim of cyberbullying.
It was spurred on from an incident on a reality show, Terrace House, where Kimura slapped a hat off Kai Kobayashi’s head, after he ruined her wrestling outfit.
Hana’s mother, Kyoko, spoke to Bunshun about the incident and revealed some startling details.
Based on translations from Farrah Hasnain, a writer for the Japan Times, here are some of the key points mentioned by Kyoko Kimura:
“Hana was pressured to act more violent & aggressive on Terrace House, and the Costume Incident episode was staged.”
“When her mom, Kyoko Kimura, was driving her home, she broke down into tears. She told her mom that Terrace House was forcing her to behave more obnoxiously on-camera for views.”
“[Hana] told [Kyoko] that she wanted to present herself professionally on-screen, but the producers were pressuring her to behave violently instead. They told her to play up her Heel persona from 1 to 100.”
“The staff instigated the Costume Incident. They would say things like ‘Nice. Now slap his face.’ Hana didn’t want to get violent or hurt anyone. It was wrong and didn’t appear professional as a wrestler, anyway.”
“She refused to slap her co-star’s face, but she compromised and slapped the hat off his head.”
“[Fuji TV] said it’s ‘under investigation’. They also said that it can’t be confirmed as a fact to be questioned about.”
I recommend that you check out all of the tweets in the thread to read the full details.
The main idea is that Hana Kimura was a very young woman who was pressured to act violently even though she wasn’t comfortable with the idea, all for a ratings grab, and it resulted in cyberbullying that led to her suicide.
This is a horrifying story all around, and Fuji TV should be held accountable for the role they played in this tragic sequence of events.
If you or anyone you know is need of support, we hope you find these links helpful:
State-by-state suicide hotlines in the U.S.
International suicide hotlines
National Alliance on Mental Health resource page