The Tokyo District Court on Wednesday ordered a Nagano Prefecture man who posted hateful messages on social media following the suicide of professional wrestler and reality show cast Hana Kimura to pay 1.29 million yen to her family for causing them emotional duress.
It marks the first time that someone has been ordered to pay damages for messages they posted on this matter, in which Kimura committed suicide on May 23 last year at age 22. She had become the target of online abuse regarding her role as a cast member on the reality show "Terrace House" that aired on Fuji Television.
Her mother Kyoko Kimura, 44, had sought 2.94 million yen in damages in her suit against the Nagano man, who posted such defamatory comments on Twitter after Hana's death as, "Your death made us all happy, thank you," and "Who do you think you are, causing trouble up to the end? Go to hell."
In the lawsuit, Kyoko claimed that the man's posts left her mentally devastated. She sought 2 million yen in compensatory damages, plus expenses for the investigation to identify the author of the posts.
The man did not submit a written response to the lawsuit, nor was he present for the oral argument, indicating that he did not intend to fight the case. Therefore, the court regarded Kyoko's claims as factual. However, the court reduced the amount of the compensatory damages, saying, "Considering the circumstances such as the content and manner of the unlawful act, 500,000 yen is an appropriate amount of compensation for mental anguish."
After the ruling, Kyoko appeared at a press conference wearing a shirt printed with Hana's photo. "I am grateful that my claim was accepted, but it is regrettable that I could not find out at the trial what the defendant was thinking when he posted the comments."
Kyoko said her mission is not finished. "I would like to inspire those who suffer from online abuse by continuing to hold defamatory posters accountable, using both civil and criminal avenues," she added.
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