Posts Tagged ‘Hana Kimura’

Hana Kimura’s Mother Grateful For Recent Meeting with Mercedes Mone

The mother of Hana Kimura was delighted to recently meet with Mercedes Mone, who has been a vocal supporter of the late wrestler.  

On Twitter, Hana’s mother Kyoko, a wrestler in her own right, shared some photos with the former WWE Superstar. Kyoko Kimura said her heart was “peaceful” when she met with Mone and that the pair spent time in one of Hana’s favorite locations. Kyoko Kimura also thanked Mone for a wonderful evening. 

Mercedes Mone & Hana Kimura

After Kimura’s death in 2022, Mone, who worked as Sasha Banks at the time, wore a black armband during an episode of SmackDown with Hana’s name on it. Years later, Mone wore a Hana Kimura-themed attire for NJPW Battle in the Valley 2023, complete with Hana’s signature gasmask. The show saw Mone defeat KAIRI to become the second-ever IWGP Women’s Champion. 

Hana Kimura

Hana Kimura took her own life in May 2020 following abuse online stemming from her appearance on the Japanese reality show Terrace House: Tokyo. Earlier in the day of her death, Kimura had shared some of the hateful messages, including racist abuse, she had received stemming from her appearance on the show. 

In December 2020, Hana’s death was officially ruled as a suicide. That same month, a man was arrested and admitted to sending harmful messages but said he couldn’t forgive Hana for her actions on the program. In 2021, the man was issued a ¥9000 ($80 USD) fine, prompting outrage that the punishment was too lenient.

In June 2022, Japan’s parliament passed a law in which “online insults” were punishable by one year imprisonment in response to Kimura’s online bullying. Offenders convicted can also face a fine of up to ¥300,000 ($2,200 USD.)

Posted March 3rd, 2024 in News. Tagged: , , .

Hana Kimura Memorial Show Results from Tokyo, Japan

The second-annual memorial show in memory of Hana Kimura has taken place in Tokyo, Japan.

Kimura took her own life in 2020 after being harassed online following her appearance in the reality show ‘Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020.’

  • This week’s memorial show was held in Korakuen Hall and opened with Hana’s mother (fellow wrestler Kyoko Kimura) speaking about her daughter.
  • KAIRI came out to be a commentator and there was a moment of silence.
  • Kenoh defeated Menso-re Oyaji
  • Tag Team Battle Royal: Sendai Girls (Mika Iwata & Chihiro Hashimoto) def. Munenori Sawa & Fuminori Abe, Yuko Miyamoto & Yuki Miyazaki, Masahiro Takanashi & Cherry, Super Delfin & Miyuki Takase, King Shisar & HUB, Hanako Nakamori & Tsubasa Kuragaki, DASH Chisako & Hiroyo Matsumoto, Koji Kanemoto & Ryo Mizunami and Speed Of Sounds (Banana Senga & Tsutomu Oosugi)
  • Jungle Kyona def. Kyoko Kimura
  • Gauntlet Match: Aja Kong, Kaori Yoneyama, & Saori Anou def. Sakura Hirota (cosplaying as Hana Kimura)
  • Rina def. Sakura Hirota
  • Syuri def. Veny
  • The show ended with a tribute package to Hana.

Posted May 24th, 2022 in News. Tagged: .

Stardom Statement On Hana Kimura, Japan Proposes Revised Cyberbullying Laws

Stardom has issued further statement on the recent passing of 22-year-old Hana Kimura.

“We would like to take this opportunity to apologize for your concern and sorrow due to the sudden passing of Stardom’s Hana Kimura on May 23.

According to the police report, there is no case of foul play.

Regarding more details on the cause of death, we will refrain from publishing anything according to the wishes of the bereaving family. We do not plan to announce the details here in any press conferences or news releases. We kindly ask for your continued support.

In addition, please refrain from trying to interview the family and athletes belonging to Stardom in consideration of the current situation.

Moreover, please refrain from visiting the bereaving family, athlete’s homes, offices, the dojo, etc.

Regarding the funeral of Hana Kimura, we will not be announcing the date and time nor the place according to the wishes of the bereaving family. We would appreciate the consideration of the media and fans.

The bereaving family expresses their deep gratitude to the fans who supported Hana Kimura, and although the date and time of the event is currently undecided due to the Coronavirus situation, a memorial service for Hana Kimura will be held.

We are taking everything into consideration, and deciding on plans for videos and photos that can be shared with her fans.

Details will be announced as soon as they are decided.

We are very sorrowful on Hana’s passing, and only wish for her to rest in eternal peace.

Thank you.”

Japan To Strengthen CyberBullying Laws

Japan’s Communications Minister Sanae Takaichi said earlier today that the country’s laws against cyber bullying will be “revised to annul the right to privacy for deemed perpetrators of online slander and harassment.”

The proposed revisions will make it easier for victims of online abuse to find out who is behind their harassment. Current laws allow them to do so only after a long and expensive legal process.

“Online slander only serves to induce even more similar messages, and this is a serious violation of human rights,” Justice Minister Masako Mori said.

More information about the proposed changes to Japan’s cyberbullying laws can be found here.

Posted May 26th, 2020 in News. Tagged: .

Japanese Star Hana Kimura Passes Away At The Age Of 22

Japanese female wrestling star Hana Kimura has passed away at the age of 22. Her promotion Stardom confirmed the news of her demise with the following statement:

“Stardom fans, we are very sorry to report that our Hana Kimura has passed away. Please be respectful and allow some time for things to process, and keep your thoughts and prayers with her family and friends. We appreciate your support during this difficult time.”

Hana Kimura was a second-generation wrestler who was the daughter of Kyoko Kimura. She had been a part of the Wrestle-1 roster for some time but returned to Stardom where she became the leader of a faction called Tokyo Cyber Squad.

There were some concerns raised over her status earlier yesterday after Kimura posted some images of self mutilation along with the following cryptic message on Twitter:

“Nearly 100 frank opinions every day. I couldn’t deny that I was hurt. I’m dead. Thank you for giving me a mother. It was a life I wanted to be loved. Thank you to everyone who supported me. I love it. I’m weak, I’m sorry. I don’t want to be a human anymore. It was a life I wanted to be loved. Thank you everyone, I love you. Bye.”

There is no word yet on how the message posted by the young wrestling star coincides with her death but there have been all kinds of rumors about the same.

Apart from being a two-time Artist of Stardom Champion and a one-time Goddess of Stardom Champion, the female star also starred in a Netflix reality show in Japan dubbed “Terrace House” last year.

Posted May 23rd, 2020 in WWE, News. Tagged: .