News Japan passes tougher online defamation laws

[thomas]

Last Monday, Japan passed a bill introducing prison terms as part of stricter penalties for online insults to tackle cyberbullying in Japan. The law was passed after Hana Kimura, a 22-year-old professional wrestler and cast member on the popular Netflix reality show "Terrace House", killed herself in May 2020 after receiving hateful messages on social media. "Terrace House" is a hugely popular reality show on Japan's Fuji TV and Netflix, about three men and three women temporarily living together in a shared house in Tokyo.

[Kimura] became a target of hateful and vicious messages on social media after she was criticized for her performance in one of the episodes. Before her suicide, she tweeted that she received about a hundred hateful messages every day and she was hurt by them. Her death triggered a wave of discussion about anonymous bullying and hateful messages. Fuji TV canceled the rest of the planned production of the show and said the decision was to respond "sincerely" to the case. At least two people were convicted of defaming Kimura, but their court-ordered penalty - a 9,000 yen ($66) fine - triggered outrage from people who said the penalty was too light. [...] The amended law will be formally enacted later this year. It will add a prison term of one year with an option of forced labor, and fines of up to 300,000 yen ($2,220) to convicted violators - a change from only short-term detention and fines of less than 10,000 yen ($74) in the current law.

In wake of reality star Hana Kimura's death, Japan approves tougher defamation penalties to include prison

Before her suicide, Hana Kimura tweeted that she received about a hundred hateful messages every day.

www.cbsnews.com

Japan passes bill to make online insults punishable with prison time

In Japan, insults are distinguished from defamation in that the former publicly demeans someone without referring to a specific action, but both are punishable under the law.

www.japantimes.co.jp