Japanese Reality Show Female Broadcaster Commits Suicide... Police Investigate Connection to Malicious Comments

Maria Hamasaki, found dead at her home in Tokyo on the 26th / 'AbemaTV' archive footage [Image source=Yonhap News]

[Asia Economy Intern Reporter Hee-eun Park] An incident has occurred in which a Japanese female broadcaster, who was appearing on a reality show, is presumed to have taken her own life due to the influence of malicious online comments.

According to local Japanese media on the 30th, Maria Hamasaki (濱崎麻莉?·23), who had been appearing on the Abema TV reality show "Ikinari Marriage" (Sudden Marriage), was found dead at her home in Tokyo on the 26th.

With no external injuries, the police are reportedly investigating on the presumption that Hamasaki took her own life. No suicide note has been found.

Hamasaki, who had been active as a reality show cast member, appeared in season 4 of "Ikinari Marriage," which features a couple getting married on their first meeting and showing their newlywed life for a month.

NHK reported that Hamasaki, who also appeared on other reality shows and posted about her daily life on SNS, had been suffering from malicious comments since around April due to going out without a mask.

They also added that she had engaged in online disputes with some commenters.

Japanese police are investigating the connection between Hamasaki’s presumed suicide and the malicious comments based on these facts.

However, Abema TV stated that there is no confirmation that Hamasaki had recently been distressed by malicious comments.

Meanwhile, in May, Hana Kimura (木村花·22), a female professional wrestler who appeared on the private broadcaster Fuji TV’s reality show "Terrace House," committed suicide after suffering from malicious online comments.

In response, the Japanese government is reportedly pushing for amendments to related laws to prevent malicious comments.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.