Japanese man charged for online abuse towards Netflix star who died by suicide in 2020

A man in Japan has been charged
over online abuse directed towards Netflix’s ‘Terrace House’ star Hana Kimura, who died by suicide in 2020, reported AFP, referring to the Tokyo Prosecutors
Office. Tokyo Prosecutors had issued a summary indictment against ‘a man in his 20s’
following the death of Kimura in May, 2020.

The man, referred to the prosecutors
by the police in December, 2020, was described, as per AFP, to have sent the
actor “messages on a social media account of the victim, including ‘You have
such an awful personality. Is your life worth living?’ and ‘Hey, hey. When will
you die?’”.

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The man, who has been charged with
making public insults but does not necessarily need to face trial under the
indictment, has also been fined 9,000 Yen ($90).

Kimura, a professional wrestler in
Japan, had a huge following for her role in the show, which follows the lives
of six young people sharing a home as they searched for love.

The show was cancelled after
Kimura’s death and was discussed internationally, leading Japan’s ministers and
lawmakers to push for anti-cyberbullying measures.

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While the proceedings took their
course, many on social media sounded alarmed over the recurrent patterns of
professional wrestlers dying by suicide, as well as the ill-effects of cyberbullying.