Mother of Hana Kimura To File Lawsuit Against Fuji TV Next Year

Japan Times reports that Kyoko Kimura, the mother of Hana Kimura, announced in a press conference today that she will be suing Fuji TV, which aired the reality series Terrace House. Hana was a cast member on the program and it’s believed events from that program led to the toxic fanbase attacking her to the point of causing her suicide.

Kimura said she wanted Fuji and the production company to “sincerely” investigate her daughter’s death. She noted that a week or two before her death, Hana said the show’s producers “don’t treat the cast like human beings.” Hana died in May 2020 after being hit with a lot of hateful messages on social media. The show, which Hana was on during 2019-20, has been canceled. It also aired on Netflix with English subtitles.

Kyoko filed a motion with the Tokyo District Court to preserve evidence, which would include unreleased footage. The court ordered the production company to provide unedited tapes, scripts and more. The lawyer noted that this was an unusual order. The company plans to fight the order.

Kyoko is also looking to identify and get damages from those who sent the hateful comments to her daughter. So far two men have been indicted and fined. So far, the Tokyo District Court has awarded her $11,300 in damages in May from a man who posted some of the messages. She also filed a complaint in July 2020 with the Broadcasting Ethics & Program Improvement Organization. She claimed the show violated Hana’s personal and human rights. The organization ruled in March that the show was “ethically problematic.”