Japan toughens defamation penalties after wrestler’s suicide

By MARI YAMAGUCHI
Associated Press

TOKYO (AP) — Japan’s parliament has approved tougher penalties for criminal defamation in a move prompted by a bullied wrestler’s suicide and that is raising free speech concerns. Discussions on toughening the law followed the suicide of Hana Kimura at age 22. She was bullied on social media in 2020 after appearing on “Terrace House,” a reality show on Japan’s Fuji TV and Netflix about people temporarily living at a shared house in Tokyo. Her mother was a driving force behind the amended law and said she has faced insults and accusations of allegedly using her daughter’s name to make money. The amended law will add a prison term of one year with an option of forced labor, a change from only short-term detention.