Hana Kimura: Netflix’s ‘Terrace House’ Canceled Following Cast Member’s Death

Netflix will not be streaming new episodes of Terrace House: Tokyo 2019-2020 following the suicide of cast member Hana Kimura, according to Kyodo News. The news comes after the Japanese broadcast network Fuji TV opted to cancel the show following Kimura’s suicide, which most believe was brought about by cyber-bullying.

The reality series’ latest iteration, which is produced by Fuji TV and distributed by Netflix in the U.S., puts three men and three women together in a house. However, a recent episode saw the 22-year-old get upset at one of her male housemates after he’d inadvertently shrunk one of her wrestling uniforms while doing laundry. However, Kimura’s reaction, as portrayed on Terrace House, led to an onslaught of negative comments. It’s feared that those comments were led to her suicide on Saturday.

“We take what happened very seriously, and will address this in a sincere manner,” Fuji TV said in a statement on Wednesday, which also sent condolences to Kimura’s family and friends. Netflix stated that it wouldn’t take any of the existing episodes of Terrace House off its platform, though no new ones will be made available. This decision comes after both Netflix and Fuji TV had stated that there would be a delay in new episodes.

The daughter of former Japanese wrestlers Kyoko Kimura and Isao Kobayashi, the late Kimura began wrestling as a child, eventually going pro in 2016. She’d signed with World Wonder Ring Stardom in March of 2019, before joining the cast of Terrace House six months later. After news of her death on Saturday, it was then reported that she died after ingesting hydrogen sulfide. Police withheld further details out of respect to her family. In the days that followed, Kimura’s death has been mourned by fans and her colleagues from the wrestling world alike.

Shortly before Kimura’s death, she had posted a series of tweets in response to the outcry. “Nearly 100 frank opinions every day. I couldn’t deny that I was hurt,” she wrote. “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.”