Kyoko Kimura, mother of the recently deceased Hana Kimura, has reportedly revealed that her daughter was encouraged to act out by the Terrace House producers, and has condemned her former co-stars partying soon after her death.
We previously reported on the death of wrestler Hana Kimura, who was appearing on Japanese reality TV show Terrace House: Tokyo 2019–2020. The wide-spread assumption that her death was suicide lead to speculation if the show’s current season would be cancelled; which it later was.
Now, Sora News 24 reports (via NicoNico News) that Kimura had been receiving harassment for months prior to her death. During Terrace House, the harassment intensified after she lost her temper at a fellow “housemate” Kai Kobayashi. He had accidentally shrunk Kimura’s expensive wresting costume in the wash, enraging Kimura to the point she knocked his hat off.
However, Sora News 24 reports that in an interview with Japanese outlet Shuukan Bunshun, Kimura’s mother and former pro-wrestler Kyoko Kimura claims that the “costume incident” was staged by the show’s producers.
Kyoko Kimura reportedly claims that when she spoke to her daughter about the incident on Mayu 18th (five days before her death) she tearfully revealed that staff wanted her to behave like her wrestler persona (a “heel” or villain), and “turn level-one-type situations up to 100.”
Staff also allegedly said to her “it’d be fine to go so far as to basically slap the guy across the face.” Kimura knew it would be wrong to strike Kobayashi, so she elected to strike his hat off his head instead. She never expected to receive such backlash, and she felt she was “unable to trust the staff.”
Sora News 24 reports that Shuukan Bunshun published several Line messages (a Japanese messaging app) from Hana to her friends and co-stars confirming the above.
Further, Shuukan Bunshun also reportedly published claims that Kobayashi had confirmed Kimura’s concerns about the staged scene. Fuji TV reportedly declined to comment on the claims in the interview, and stated they were “looking into” the claims of staged scenes.
When that issue of Shuukan Bunshun was released (July 2nd), housemate Toshiyuki Niino (CEO of EXIT Inc.) posted images to Twitter and Instagram of the Terrace House housemates seemingly partying.
ふぁむ pic.twitter.com/ZeYmD84XoR
— にいにい (@getdrunkeasily) July 2, 2020
https://www.instagram.com/p/CCI8XLMgk4c/
Niino also reportedly shared videos of the party via Instagram Stories, where the housemates (in Sora News 24’s words) “appeared to be having a great time, celebrating with cake while inebriated and laughing and joking with each other.” Niino also reportedly posted with other co-stars, saying “We are Terrace House.”
Kyoko Kimura condemned the former co-stars actions in a now deleted Tweet.
“This timing, when Shuukan Bunshun went on sale?
Hana’s 49th memorial day hasn’t even taken place yet people from that sketchy show are partying?
I guess the backbone of it is it’s not their problem.
I don’t mean to criticize them individually, but it’s just sad. Disappointing.”
Translation: Sora News 24
Sora News 24 explain that under Japanese Buddhist funeral traditions, the family of the deceased mourn for 49 days, with an urn containing the bones of the deceased in the home. They are then interred on the 49th day during a ceremony. Many were reportedly quick to agree with Kyoko Kimura’s condemnation.
Image: Terrace House: Tokyo 2019–2020 official website, Distractify
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