#RIPHanaKimura ARTICLE TRANSLATION THREAD

CW: Suicide, Self-Harm

TITLE:
Terrace House's Hana Kimura:

Her Mother's Shocking 10-Hour Confession:

"Fuji TV Killed My Daughter"

Please read below.

Kyoko's opening testimony.

NOTES

*Learn more about the phenomenon of "yarase" here: https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2003/03/02/national/media-national/in-pursuit-of-reality-tv-sinks-to-new-depths/#.Xv2poq2B2Rs

In this article, to describe "yarase/yaraseru", I will switch between the terms, "staged" and "pressure from higher-ups" for clarity.

*Also, "LINE" is a popular messaging app in Japan.

Based on the LINE messages, e-mails, contracts, etc. Kyoko Kimura provided, we conducted a thorough interview with the performers, friends, and people involved in the production of TH.

What emerged was the fact that the root cause of Hana's death was the "staged element" of TH.

"The staff told me that I should slap him in the face, but I just couldn't do it, and I struggled with pulling off his cap."

Actually, Hana not only confided in her mother about this.

She also confided in her friends about how staged Terrace House actually was.

A friend of Hana gives a testimony.

"Hana told me that the production staff instructed her to slap. Immediately after they recorded the scene, they did a cut and said 'that was great!' Hana complained that she couldn't trust the staff."

Hana also sent an SOS directly to the Terrace House staff members via LINE:

"I want to die."

"I remembered it burning."

"Isn't it terrible to die?"

Despite that, Fuji TV did not stop broadcasting the episode.

Shooting this scene was hard for Hana. On Feb 16th at 3:50AM, Hana vented to her friend.

"I felt like I was hyperventilating, but the camera was still all over me...I'm finally calmed down now. I'll go to sleep. *sobs*"

"I was supposed to go to sleep before 12, but it hurts."

On May 15th, the day after the video clips were released on YouTube, Hana held a birthday party for her grandmother with Kyoko.

Kyoko gives her daughter a ride back home. Hana breaks down and tells her everything.

Hana begins to open up about her experience on TH.

The next day, on May 19th, Kyoko brought a bento she made for Hana.

"Hana was running late when she met up with me, so I got angry and said, 'you're late!' When I think about it now, I feel uneasy. Why did I get so mad at her...But I never knew that it would be our last time."

"I'm sorry, mama. I can't take it anymore. It got too painful. Mama, live happily, ok?"

(photos are from a diff site)

"When Hana was little, there were times when I didn't have enough money. When the lights were out and the room turned pitch black, I pulled out a candle. Hana would say, 'it's Candle Day!' with glee. I was saved countless times by her optimism."

When I was started to compete as a Heel, Hana would stand up, do an imposing stance at home and say, 'Why are you messing with me?' angrily. (laughs) She'd say, 'Mama isn't the only one who can face Anpanman. It wouldn't be fun if there weren't anyone like that around.'

Hana started to get discriminated against because she was Hafu [half/mixed-race Japanese] in elementary school. She had a hard time making friends, and her struggles with making friends continued.

"Hana wasn't good at conforming to the image of a typical Japanese girl."

“By following the same path as me, our relationship as senior and pupil and as rivals got more intense than as mother and daughter...

I should’ve given her more compliments. It was said that this year, 'the Age of Hana would come'.”

That's it for Part 1.

Thank you all for reading & sharing.

Please take care.