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'Terrace House' star Kimura likely took her own life using toxic gas

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One incident on a show and the resulting 'cyber bullying' is not the main reason why Hana took her own life. Anyone who knows anything about suicide and mental states knows that it is not a one time thing like this. Hana definitely had issues long before she even went on the Terrace House show. No one has proved otherwise.

Main reason or not, it is still a reason and cyber bullying can be the tipping point and should be fought against wherever you see it.

37 ( +40 / -3 )

One is not mature if you can't bear criticism.

Bullying is not mere criticism.

25 ( +28 / -3 )

I always feel stunned by people taking their own lives. I am shocked by Robin Williams and now Kimura. They have lives unlike ours. However, they still take their own lives. Makes me happy to have a life at all. I live in Japan and am more than happy every day to live here. We should all look at our lives and be happy with everything we have. I liked Kimura san. Maybe people should of sent her love mail ~ instead of hate mail. What is wrong with people who cyber bully?

24 ( +28 / -4 )

So when I get downvoted for no reason, it 's bullying. Wake up !

No, that is not bullying.

It is not bullying when you receive a negative comment. If your phone is off, nothting happens. Too young to understand that ?

People joining forces and telling someone to kill themselves, that is not just a negative comment. If your phone is off is irrelevant. It’s always there. That is one of the big issues with cyber bullying. It follows you home.

20 ( +25 / -5 )

The sad thing is that people who are motivated to seek fame do it because they want to be recognized and seek affirmation from others. It's almost a cliche that when they do achieve fame it doesn't fill that need. Or worse, they get bad press and criticism rather than affirmation.

Now, with social media and no gatekeepers, criticism is a sure thing, as is more extreme bullying. Imagine how that must feel. Somebody who never fit in when they were younger, seeking fame to get affirmation from a wider audience, and then getting widely bullied.

One is not mature if you can't bear criticism.

She was 22. I could say that one is not mature if they lack empathy for other people with different needs and in different situations. By your standards, almost all 20 year olds would need doctors.

18 ( +19 / -1 )

So every time this happens - people bullied to the point of suicide - do the bullies, either school or cyber, actually rejoice in their ‘achievement’? Do feel any kind of reflection at the their actions?

15 ( +15 / -0 )

One reason why I loathe Social media.

it has brought more harm than good to the world

15 ( +17 / -2 )

Hana chan grew up around wrestling and began training for her career at age 16, being at best nudged into by her mother (also a wrestler). At age 18 she became a full time professional. On the surface, not a so obvious problem.

But this was a young woman who had very limited exposure and experience in life, going into her career straight after high school. Clearly she was not mentally or socially developed enough to deal with everything that came into her life. No life experience and a very limited and narrow perspective, which left her unable to cope with the bullying. Such a very sad situation on so many levels.

13 ( +14 / -1 )

She's got a whole life ahead of her. It is such a waste dying over the words uttered by some irrelevant trolls on the social media.

10 ( +10 / -0 )

It would be nice, btw, if such stories could be accompanied by a link or a phone number for those who are bullied or feeling suicidal.

9 ( +9 / -0 )

I'm just not understanding what these cyber bullying is specifically. Are these twitter posts, private DM, or posts on reddit/2チャンネル or something to this form?

I'm guessing these are 100 and 100's of private DM's coming directly to her. But almost every talent on TV, usually is represented by a company and has a manager. Wouldn't putting someone in charge of looking after their SNS account (somehow be able to track DM) solve these cyber bullying problem? Check-in with the talent's account once in a while, see the messages she receives. It might be an invasion of privacy but atleast in helps these talent's avoid suicide.

8 ( +8 / -0 )

Politik KillsToday 07:58 am JST

So every time this happens - people bullied to the point of suicide - do the bullies, either school or cyber, actually rejoice in their ‘achievement’? Do feel any kind of reflection at the their actions?

Yes, they do. After this poor woman killed herself there were vids posted on YouTube of people cheering her death, pleased that they'd got rid of her.

Loads of victim blaming in this thread and a whole lot of denial that the bullying wasn't racist. So many nasty people out there, it's sad.

8 ( +11 / -3 )

Look up Jenny Jones trial.

If you remember the 90s talk show where the show brought on a guy and girl. The guy was gay and he wanted to express is feelings for his neighbour. When the neighbor came on the show he taught he was getting set up with girl. Little did he know that the show planned on surprising him with the fact the a gay guy liked him and asked him was he gay. Where he said he wasn't. He was so embarrassed that 3 days later he took a shotgun to that gay guys house and killed him. Jenny Jones and the producer's went to trial.

Terrance House should be brought to trial. I don't like that show. They edited things for entertainment and then talk about everyone behind their back as if it's totally okay an normal. If you think about it's so sick what that show does.

7 ( +8 / -1 )

Jonathan Prin

When you get downvoted (for no reason of course) its bullying?

I should....”wake up”

Oh my lord, that is something special special stuff right there...hilarious

6 ( +6 / -0 )

She planned this. She took the time to buy the gas and write the letters. It is obvious that she was tired and wanted to rest and because she was depressed she wanted everything to just stop. Its hard for many young famous people to cope with being in the spotlight. Self esteem from the opinion of others is what this is, and its the norm in Japan. Being ostracized from a group or feeling like that, is like hell for many Japanese people that rely on the opinion of others will make you lose sense of self.

Trolling is bullying, and getting caught up in it doesn't do well for someone who is depressed. Kimura was obviously feeling embarrassed by her behavior on the show and after the feedback from the social media was just trolls, that pushed her over the edge. The problem is not cyberbullying, the problem is a society that if you show how you feel, you are condemned. She was brave not weak. But she didn't have to kill herself to prove a point. The branch that is the most ridgid will snap. Being depressed makes you feel like there is not way out but to die. Its sad.

5 ( +6 / -1 )

Then the immediate solution is to get off social media, and having done that, seek out counselling to work through and manage one’s desire to self-harm.

Unfortunately that isn’t always clear to people going through these issues.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

@ Kobe White Bar Owner

Leave psychological diagnosis to those knowledgeable on the subject.

Why demean a dead girl's memory with speculation?

4 ( +7 / -3 )

something wrong with Japanese society, that people have to go out this way

Yeah, why can’t Japan be more like the rest of the world where suicide doesn’t exist?!

4 ( +8 / -4 )

How terribly sad. I don't think that governments can do very much about this type of thing. This is a human heart problem. We need a massive infusion of love into our hearts.

4 ( +4 / -0 )

"They have lives unlike ours."

This says it about the entertainment. There is glamour and the constant anxieties about failure and cruelty. Celebrity actors are likely the most vulnerable people in the arts.

There has to some way of stopping cyberbullying. I had to deal with it on an American website. It was really and truly vicious. Fortunately, I had a lot training in political debate and I could give it right back. But a lot of good photographers quite the site. Finally, the owner, who had been doing other things, and kicked the cyberbullies out. Better late than never, I guess.

Other young women actors have been driven to suicide by cyber bullies, How about making cyber bullies directly responsible for someone's death? How about making it a capital offense?

3 ( +4 / -1 )

The reality show is NOT a live show. If seeking reality, you must follow the entire life spent around the clock, which is extremely dull. Scenes are "made" with editing, many cuts, in order to fit into a 30-min format for an episode. This process could lose whole contexts. Or it could even instigate some provocation, with many cuts, to keep viewers attention.

Ms Kimura as well as other Terrace House members have risk of being misunderstood, their characters being "misrepresented", falling into a target of sms bullying. The production side should be accountable for the tragedy lest it won't happen again. For viewers, stop being judgmental.

3 ( +3 / -0 )

At least she was considerate enough to warn others about the toxic gas she used to commit suicide.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

A 22 years old lady died ???. Japan have to take care of this bully problem. This problem had been going on for a long long time.

2 ( +3 / -1 )

The easiest way to stop cyber bullying - stop logging into your social medial accounts for a few days.

2 ( +5 / -3 )

I don't want to say why I focus on that topic, just know because I am directly (not myself) concerned.

You know someone suffering from a mental illness? Do you also speak to them with disrespect and indignation? If no, why not? This is the thing. I know someone with a mental illness too, we probably all do even though we may not know about their illness. Their level of psychological maturity is not irrelevant to the issues but it is irrelevant to the fact that we should be speaking to people with dignity and respect.

2 ( +2 / -0 )

Part of wanting to join “celebrity culture” is well, joining celebrity culture with everything that goes along with it. Fame, notoriety, money, love, criticism. You can’t just pick the and choose. Terrace House was a “reality show” where the viewers are active participants by supporting and voting out the stars. She signed up for this. Sad that she chose to kill herself but that was her decision. Suicide is rarely the correct response and never because people said bad things about you.

1 ( +6 / -5 )

three down votes on @Michael Machida comment is what's wrong in our society.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

Cyberbullying is a complex thing. If people are really looking to reduce cyberbullying, they should push governments to strengthen their defamation laws and privacy invasion laws. But be careful as these are the same rules governments change to reduce public dissent of government actions.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

@Concerned Citizen

How terribly sad. I don't think that governments can do very much about this type of thing. This is a human heart problem. We need a massive infusion of love into our hearts.

Japan as a society could do quite a lot, and government could surely show the way. Mental issues are still heavily stigmatised here, mental illnesses hidden, and people suffering from these issues are either laughed at or scared of. From what I've heard, it's also quite challenging, if not difficult, to get proper help for these issues. And yes, first you'd need to overcome the stigma, and be brave enough to seek help, admit to someone - even to the person on the phone line- that you may need some help with depression etc.

I worked as a teacher in Japan at one point, and a girl in our school committed suicide. It was quickly and quietly announced one day, then it was never spoken of again. "Help" was given for her classmates (around 3 x 20mins/each student), but nothing for other students or teachers. Like the school was ashamed of the event, and scared to talk about it. Pretending all was well.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

News of her death has sparked an outpouring of messages of condolence and a public outcry against cyber-bullying,

I have zero sympathy for these cyberbullies, but I hope this does not once again lead to calls for more censorship, meaning the cure is worse than the problem.

Rather, I think young people should be educated about the danger of social media, and how to deal with it.

1 ( +2 / -1 )

I'm curious how people are getting this toxic gas. I know people in the West often kill themselves via carbon monoxide poisoning in the garage with their car running, but perhaps stores could stop selling products that contain this gas. I'm guessing on suicide forums there is some kind of recipe. Perhaps the government can look into taking these forums down or not allowing certain products to be sold.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

This isn't the first person in the public eye who has taken their own life, or suffered as a result of online bullying.

One is not mature if you can't bear criticism.

One needs to comprehend what bullying is, and how it can affect different people.

1 ( +3 / -2 )

The analysis presented is rather lacking and full of peculiar suppositions.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Perhaps the government can look into taking these forums down or not allowing certain products to be sold.

Generally people will mix various household chemicals. There are recipes online unfortunately. But it's not like you can ban just start banning products because sometimes people use them with other products that they're not supposed to, in order to kill themselves.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

@starpunk

Yes there is allot of that in Japan, and it can be mentally exhausting dealing with somebody like that. Dont blame yourself.

22 years old? nobody really knows who they are at that age. The directors of the show know this. Its an age where you look your best but not ready for this level of drama. Occasionally I come across similar shows on MTV, some British show where they all live together. Same emotional drama, violence, low esteem, etc.

Why people watch this, what a strange world.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Why people watch this, what a strange world.

I don't watch that trash either. TV just isn't much fun anymore. When 'Cheers' went off the air I sensed that a turning point for TV had passed but I never envisioned the garbage we have now. It's not entertaining and it's just stupid rubbish. I hate it. It sucks.

1 ( +1 / -0 )

Some years ago, I was looking at apartments in a couple buildings owned by the same Japanese man and he was my guide. He was an older guy and very nice. As we went from one apartment to another and one building to another, I kept noticing these rectangular cut holes near the ceiling between all of the rooms. They were just rectangular shaped opening without coverings and you could see into the other room through them. I was curious and asked him if they served as some type of air vents, and he told me something completely different. He told me that he'd been in that business for a long time and during that time he'd had a lot of women (not men...women) gas themselves in his apartments over the years and it just made him sick, so to try and prevent this he began making these holes as a way to disperse gas and spread it from one room to another.

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Does anyone know what happened to her cat?

0 ( +1 / -1 )

Jonathan PrinMay 26 07:45 am JST

One is not mature if you can't bear criticism.,

She was psychologically dependant and should have been followed closely by a doctor.

RIP

Haaa Nemui

May 26 07:53 am JST

One is not mature if you can't bear criticism.

Bullying is not mere criticism.

The problem is that she possibly had other issues and problems herself that she kept inside. Fame does have pressures. Bullying is for the immature. Kimura obviously was having raging chaotic emotions and the haters and cyber bullies were the 'last straw'. She saw no way out. She felt that the only way to control her life was to end it.

I dated a woman when I was in college who struggled with emotional illness since she was 14. Years later I saw her obit and found out she yook her own life after years of misuse, abuse, misunderstanding, emotional neglect by her family and other boyfriends (I never did any harm to her). Even now when something reminds me of her suicide, like this article it sometimes make me cry. Suicide is horrible. There's no turning back.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

"Every day, I receive nearly 100 honest opinions and I cannot deny that I get hurt."

90 percent of all internet comments are not honest opinions at all. They are rants designed to relieve stress and the most common method is by attacking others and usually completely irrationally and unfairly. Often the person posting is not consciously aware that they are just ranting rubbish for stress relief.

0 ( +0 / -0 )

Obviously she was not psychologically mature to withstand TH environment. Just watch the event and what she says.

And that 's Japanese version, soft compare to elsewhere in the world.

I don't want to say why I focus on that topic, just know because I am directly (not myself) concerned.

-1 ( +1 / -2 )

Celebrities and social media stars with a big presence online ("influencers" like the Kardashians) get all kinds of hateful messages constantly, yet they don't kill themselves. Overwhelming majority of these people don't have suicidal thoughts from the very mean-spirited comments people leave on their social media pages. This just proves that those who choose to commit suicide had some underlying problems that built to a point where they just decide to end it all.

-2 ( +4 / -6 )

She had mental issues and failed to get the help that might have saved her life. Too many Japanese, especially women, are not raised in a spirit of defiance to withstand the pressures of this cold, capitalist society. What a waste. It makes one despair of the cruelty of the world and the frailty of humanity.

-2 ( +3 / -5 )

@BungleToday  10:47 am JST

I’ve mentioned NPD here before and knowing the black and white thinking and the need for external approval I’d hazard a guess she had NPD

I disagree. NPD personality types are excellent at feigning victimhood while, paradoxically, nurturing a colossal sense of entitlement. They go through life like a bull in a china shop. Meanwhile, the poor souls who fall into their orbit are left to pick up the pieces.

npd sadly comes in many shapes and forms like all the b cluster disorders they are on a sliding scale. 22 yrs studying in the subject but no I’m not a professional just my opinion.

-2 ( +1 / -3 )

Very sad. I’ve mentioned NPD here before and knowing the black and white thinking and the need for external approval I’d hazard a guess she had NPD, which is very prevalent throughout Japanese society, usually the covert type in this case I’d guess more overt type. For those living here who don’t understand BPD and NPD I’d suggest you have a read. RIP Hana.

-5 ( +0 / -5 )

Suicide is a personal cop-out, it something wrong with Japanese society, that people have to go out this way

-6 ( +2 / -8 )

If you’ve ever dealt with a suicidal person, they’re in a manic state and usually haven’t slept for days on end. They’re usually severely bipolar and you can’t reason with them. They need to be medicated and heavily sedated and monitored. And then a lifetime of psychiatric care and anti depressants

-7 ( +11 / -18 )

One incident on a show and the resulting 'cyber bullying' is not the main reason why Hana took her own life. Anyone who knows anything about suicide and mental states knows that it is not a one time thing like this. Hana definitely had issues long before she even went on the Terrace House show. No one has proved otherwise.

-8 ( +20 / -28 )

It is not bullying when you receive a negative comment. If your phone is off, nothting happens. Too young to understand that ?

Bullying is active repetitive impossible to avoid action against you.

So when I get downvoted for no reason, it 's bullying. Wake up !

Even my kids know that internet is full of anonymous weirdos and psychos.

-16 ( +7 / -23 )

One is not mature if you can't bear criticism.

She was psychologically dependant and should have been followed closely by a doctor.

RIP

-17 ( +8 / -25 )

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