Girl who drove classmate to suicide accused of criminal charge by bereaved father

The Mainichi Shimbun
June 21, 2008
Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080621p2a00m0na002000c.html

KITAKYUSHU -- The father of a high school girl, who committed suicide after a classmate posted a string of bullying messages on the Internet, has filed a criminal complaint against the girl, accusing her of insulting his daughter.

The 16-year-old, first-year student at the private Mihagino Girls' High School in Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu, was found hanged to death at her home on May 29, according to police. Her suicide note said, "(The classmate) posted messages on the Internet saying, 'Everyone hates you.'"

Her father accuses the classmate of posting other messages saying, "Die now. I'll be at your funeral," and "You should kill yourself by cutting your arteries."

"I don't think the classmate is the only student involved in the incident," he said. "The school's investigation has limits, but I hope the details of the incident will be clarified through a police investigation."

(Mainichi Japan) June 21, 2008

Girl commits suicide, blaming insults on blog

The Yomiuri Shimbun
June 2, 2008
Source: http://www.yomiuri.co.jp/dy/national/20080602TDY02302.htm

KITAKYUSHU--A 16-year-old student at a private high school here hanged herself at home Thursday after leaving a suicide note in which she said unpleasant things had been written about her in her blog, it has been learned.

The city's fire department received an emergency call around 7 a.m. Thursday from her family, and the first-year student's death was confirmed later at a hospital in the city.

School officials had a counselor interview some of her classmates beginning Friday. They said one of her classmates confessed that she wrote in the dead student's blog such expressions as "Die," "You make me feel sick" and "I don't know what that's supposed to mean."

The school held a meeting of all students and staff Friday to inform them of the girl's death. A similar meeting was held for parents Saturday. The school principal told The Yomiuri Shimbun: "We regret that the student killed herself as we have instructed our students not to write slanderous remarks to others on the Internet. As there's a possibility of bullying, we'll investigate the case as carefully as possible."

(Jun. 2, 2008)

High school girl hangs self after blog post tells her to die

The Mainichi Shimbun
May 31, 2008
Source: http://mdn.mainichi.jp/national/news/20080531p2a00m0na014000c.html

KITAKYUSHU -- A high school girl hanged herself at her home here after a message telling her to die was put up on her blog, school officials said Saturday.

Mihagino Girls' High School in Kokurakita-ku, Kitakyushu, held an emergency meeting on Saturday to explain the incident to the parents of the students.

Moreover, the school has offered to introduce clinical psychotherapists to traumatized students.

The school received a call from the parents of the 16-year-old, first-year girl Thursday morning, saying that she had hanged herself at her home in Kitakyushu, according to the officials.

A suicide note she left for her family said that a message telling her to die had been posted on her personal blog.

A school official told the Mainichi that a message slandering the student was reportedly put up on her blog sometime between Monday and Tuesday.

Some of her friends reportedly told teachers that they had noticed something odd in her behavior over the past few days.

(Mainichi Japan) May 31, 2008