A popular idol is taking a break after discovering that someone broke into her home. The disturbing incident, in which harassment jumped from online to real life, highlights the growing struggle celebrities and Internet personalities in Japan face in dealing with online abuse.
“Real-life Oshi no ko”
Fujisaki Nagi is a member of the four-woman idol group Saishu Mirai Shojo (最終未来少女). She made headlines last year when she announced that she was a single mother of two children.
The announcement was brave, given that some idols in Japan have faced fierce bullying when male fans found out they were in relationships. Traditionally, an inherent part of the idol image is the creation of a “pseudo-romance” with their fans. The result is an official or unspoken ban on idols having personal relationships.
In Fujisaki’s case, she made the announcement partially because fans and paparazzi were trying to sneak pics of her with her kids and leaking her kids’ names on social media. In other words, she’s been battling Internet harassment and violation of her personal boundaries for quite some time.
The announcement brought a lot of positive support for Fujisaki. Japanese users compared her to Ai, the main character of the manga Oshi no Ko, who is also depicted as a single mother of two children in the story.
“I still can’t believe it”
Unfortunately, the announcement apparently didn’t stop people from harassing Fujisaki online. This week, Fujisaki’s management company, Mint Productions, and Fujisaki herself reported that the harassment took a frightening turn.
According to Fujisaki in a lengthy post on her X account, there was evidence that someone shattered a window to break into her place. Fortunately, neither the star nor any of her family were home at the time. However, Fujisaki says the incident forced her to miss a rehearsal for a one-woman show. Mint Productions tightened security for the show so that it could go on as planned.
However, Fujisaki says she’s taking a break from performing as a result of the incident. Her management company said she’ll focus on improving her personal security during that time. Her social media accounts will also be under company management until she returns.
“Mentally, I’m fine,” she assured fans, remaining upbeat. “Don’t worry too much about me!”
Cracking down on Internet harassment remains hard
In a statement on Saishu Mirai Shojo’s Web site, the company says it’ll also be cracking down on social media insults and sexual harassment aimed at Fujisaki. Mint says it’ll work with police and lawyers where necessary to curb the hate directed at the idol.
However, that might be easier said than done.
In Japan, the messaging app LINE is the largest so-called “Social Networking Service” (SNS) in use, at some 97 million users. X comes in third at 66,500,000 users, behind YouTube.
X remains the place where Japan goes for anonymity. According to 2020 data from Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs, 70% of Japanese X accounts were anonymous. That makes X a hotbed for people looking for a place to vent their anger and frustration.
Crowdfunding lawsuits against harassers
The issue of slander and abuse online came to the forefront of Japanese news after the death of pro wrestler Hana Kimura. Hana committed suicide after receiving a wave of online hate. In the wake of that incident, many voices called for tougher laws to combat online slander.
Sadly, online abuse still persists, forcing companies to take steps to protect their talent. Recently, agency EYE-LAND announced that it was consulting lawyers and police in an attempt to crack down on slander aimed at singer Shimatani Hitomi and other stars. EYE-LAND said it would pursue civil lawsuits where appropriate.
Not everyone has the money to battle online trolls, however. YouTuber Sukapontan, who has a small audience of around 10K followers, said they recently started crowdfunding to seek damages against slanderous comments people left on their channel after they entered into a relationship with professional gamer Braver. The virtual singer and gamer hopes to raise 2 million yen ($12,548) to fund her effort.
In the absence of new laws cracking down on online abuse, civil suits are about the best stars and companies can do. Even in cases where someone’s personal information – such as their address – is leaked, police in Japan won’t take action. One detective I spoke with says that doxxing “happens too often” for police to follow up on every report.
Additionally, given Japan’s low crime rate and the ubiquity of security cameras, the thinking is that most online talk is just that. Since perpetrators who take their online abuse into real life are highly likely to get caught, police generally won’t take action until something happens.
As Fujisaki Nagi’s case reveals, the possibility of that “something” happening is more real than some people like to think.
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