The late Hana Kimura (木村花) was a Japanese professional wrestler. In her rise to fame, she appeared in one of Japan’s most unique reality TV shows called “Terrace House: Tokyo 2019 – 2020”. Unfortunately, the show was halted not once but twice, due to COVID-19 pandemic and the death of Hana Kimura.
In one of the most intense scenes in the history of “Terrace House”, Hana Kimura and Kai Kobayashi had a quarrel that ultimately led to Kimura’s death. Today, Hana Kimura’s mother – Kyoko Kimura (木村 響子) – is suing the companies she thinks are responsible.
The grieving mother is suing three companies, including Fuji Television, for about 142 million yen (RM4.5 million) in compensation. In her suit, filed with the Tokyo district court, the mother claims the defendants intentionally staged and edited scenes to portray her daughter in a negative light – encouraging viewers to turn against her daughter.
According to The Guardian, “I wanted to avoid a court case, but I was forced to file the lawsuit because [the defendants] have not responded with sincerity,” Kimura said. “I don’t want any more young people to have their dreams exploited,” she added. At the time of writing, the defendants have yet to release a statement.
For your information, Hana Kimura died of cyber bullying. Following the events that happened in the show, she had been getting constant harassment from netizens for nearly two months. The wrestler died in her apartment alone at the age of 22.
If you or someone you know is going through an emotional crisis because of cyberbullying or anything else that may be putting your or their wellbeing at risk, please know that there are services available to help you. For immediate help, please call Befrienders KL at 03-7627-2929.
Source: The Guardian
Puteri Teja contributed to this article.
