The Japan News by The Yomiuri Shimbun
Man sent to prosecutors over ‘Terrace House’ cyberbullying
Aman was referred to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office by the Metropolitan Police Department on Thursday on charges of criminal insult, for allegedly posting abusive messages on social media directed at professional wrestler Hana Kimura, who committed suicide in May aged 22.
Kimura had been a cast member on the reality show “Terrace House” that aired on Fuji Television.
According to the police, an Osaka Prefecture resident in his 20s is suspected of posting abusive messages directed at Kimura on Twitter in May. The MPD is also investigating other malicious posts.
The man admitted to the charges, reportedly saying that he could not tolerate her attitude on the TV program and wanted to hurt her.
Kimura had saved about 200 images of malicious social media posts on her smartphone, including posts from the suspect, according to investigative sources.
Most of the accounts used to post abusive comments were deleted after her death, but the MPD was able to retrieve some data. Of the about 1,200 posts analyzed, about 300 cases of abuse from about 200 accounts were confirmed.
Hana’s mother, Kyoko Kimura, 43, released a statement on Thursday, saying: “No matter what I do, Hana is not coming back. But I hope that the legal action will serve as a deterrent and help to reduce the number of people going through sad and painful experiences. I want the perpetrator to pay for his crime and then move on and lead a happy life for Hana’s sake.” (Dec. 18)