Mother suing Japan production firms over Netflix star's suicide
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Hana Kimura took her own life due to online abuse.
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Kimura was a cast member on the Netflix show "Terrace House" (BBC)
After being the target of online bullying, Hana Kimura, a cast member on the Netflix reality show "Terrace House" took her own life at 22.
Now, her mother wants to sue the firm that produced the show.
The show where Kimura was favored by many fans, centers around 6 adults sharing a home in an attempt to find a romantic subject of interest.
The show was canceled after Kimura's death and served as a tragic reminder to Japanese officials that not enough is being done to identify perpetrators of cyberbullying.
Kimura's mother, Kyoko, is seeking full compensation and filing a lawsuit against Fuji TV and another production company next year.
Kyoka expressed to reporters that she wanted the issue sincerely tackled, " not just think about defending themselves, and find out what the problem was."
Kimura, who was also a professional wrestler, once lost her temper on the show after another cast member damaged her expensive wrestling costume unintentionally.
In response, she was flooded with a barrage of hateful remarks online with some telling her "everyone will be happy if you're gone."
The mother has claimed that her daughter had said staff encouraged her to amp up the drama for viewers.
According to sources in Japanese media, the Tokyo District Court ordered Fuji TV and the production firm to deliver screenplays, pre-edited footage, and other information this year in response to a request by Kyoko's attorneys.
However, a daily publication reported they refused due to "professional secrecy."
A number of people have been fined due to insensitive remarks online. A man in May tweeted "Everyone is happy thanks to your death," was fined 1.29 million yen ($11,300).
Another man sent the late Kimura online messages saying " You have such an awful personality. Is your life worth living?" He was given a fine of 9,000 yen in March for the abuse.
