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Hana Kimura’s mother requests evidence of hate tweets cyberbullying her daughter after her death

Oona McGee Jul 14, 2020
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Kyoko Kimura is building a case to bring down her daughter’s cyberbullies.

On 23 May, pro-wrestler Hana Kimura, a starring member of the Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020 reality TV show on Netflix, was found dead in her Tokyo apartment. She was 22 years old.

Hana’s suicide followed months of bullying on social media, which reached a peak after “The Costume Incident” aired on the show. During this incident, Hana shouted at fellow housemate Kai, with whom tensions had been simmering for weeks, slapping the baseball cap off his head after he inadvertently shrank her cherished, expensive wrestling costume in the washing machine.

The online hate Hana received, in spite of the fact that many viewers felt the outburst was warranted, was widely condemned by fans, celebrities and even Japanese politicians, who said they would bolster countermeasures against online cyberbullies.

Now it appears that Hana’s mother, former pro-wrestler Kyoko Kimura, is also taking measures to silence the cyberbullies, as she tweeted out the following message on 9 July (translation follows).

【急募】本日夜中12時まで

5/23以降に　木村花に対する悪質な誹謗中傷ツイートを　スクショで保存されているかたいましたら

このツイートへのリプライで写真をくださいませ

削除されているものが多いため　証拠としてのスクショでお願い致します

重複を避けるため　
リプライを確認ください

— 木村響子🌸🌸🌸🦍 (@kimurarock) July 9, 2020

“[Urgent] If there are people who have saved screenshots of malicious, slanderous tweets against Hana Kimura posted after 23 May, please reply with photos by midnight tonight. A large number have been erased so the screenshots are requested for evidence. To avoid duplications, please check the replies.”

This request opened the floodgates for a thread of replies filled with screenshot after screenshot of vile comments directed at the Terrace House star. Trigger warning for those who want to look away now, as some of the shocking examples of cyberbullying faced by Hana online are listed below.

pic.twitter.com/UXj9gYjWL2

— T.K_ACE【FFF】 (@ACE_TKFFF) July 9, 2020

https://twitter.com/LeoFredon/status/1281169081568198656

pic.twitter.com/DaFMhHGWpN

— W I L D F I R E (@remus_gpmax) July 9, 2020

This is from Reddit - absolutely vile and disgusting 💢💢💢 pic.twitter.com/ECIrp9irB8

— 𝓕𝓻𝓪𝓷~~フラン~~프랜~⛩🍡🗾 (@FranMcAlpine) July 9, 2020

https://twitter.com/OldSchoolStyleX/status/1281254991609683975

Many more hate tweets were unveiled, with a number of people on Instagram, YouTube, and other social media platforms shamelessly thanking Hana for dying and callously celebrating news of her death.

These repulsive comments show just how much hate Hana had to deal with online on a day-to-day basis. However, Hana’s mother has asked that people refrain from slandering the people who slandered, as the aim is not to reveal the culprits publicly but to gather evidence in accordance with the law.

While the type of legal action being taken has not been announced, Kyoko Kimura has said that she wants to restore her daughter’s dignity by exposing the facts that led to her daughter’s death.

By taking action to target cyberbullies, and calling out staff on the show for manipulating her daughter to create drama for ratings, Hana’s mother is staying true to her word. And Hana’s fans are standing by her side to support her every step of the way.

If you or someone you know is in Japan and having suicidal thoughts, there are people here to help. Click here for more info.

Source: Hachima Kikou
Featured image: Twitter/@hanadayo0903
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