Bushiroad Announces Win in First Civil Suit for Defamation

Last year, entertainment company Bushiroad announced that the company was exploring legal options for dealing with online slander, including working with law enforcement. The company announced an update to those legal proceedings on Tuesday, including its first civil suit.

Bushiroad stated that because the statements are carried out on social media, the company is seeking out the identities of individuals by requesting the disclosure of the sender’s information. They are then proceeding by filing civil lawsuits and criminal complaints against the relevant individuals.

“Since these procedures take a considerable amount of time, we have not been able to report on the progress, and we have received some inquiries from our customers, but we are pleased to announce that a judgment has been rendered in the first civil lawsuit, allowing us to claim damages for defamation,” Bushiroad announced.

The company stated in a press release that it does not intend to announce updates to every case it pursues, but that Bushiroad will “make appropriate use of our legal department and outside attorneys, and take necessary and appropriate measures to protect our content, affiliated voice actors, talents, players, and artists, so that our customers can enjoy various content, events, and games with peace of mind.”

Last year’s announcement followed what Bushiroad‘s voice acting agency Hibiki called false claims that a voice actress was hired because of sexual favors. The company filed a criminal complaint to the Tokyo District Public Prosecutors Office on July 6, 2021 and began working with a number of Diet members to set up a system that can properly address online harassment and slander.

According to lawyer Tomonori Inoue, who heads the Bushiroad Group’s legal department, the death of wrestler and reality TV star Hana Kimura in May 2021 sent shockwaves throughout the entertainment industry. “Because of what happened to Ms. Kimura, there has been a stronger awareness that we have to protect our talent more than ever before,” Inoue told legal news website Bengo4.com. Kimura was the target of online harassment on a daily basis; shortly before her death, she made a series of tweets expressing suicidal intent in reaction to the harassment.

On May 14, 2021, Bushiroad‘s Hibiki agency announced that it would request the suspension of accounts spreading false rumors about the talent, and that it was in consultation with its legal team and the police. According to Inoue, this resulted in around 90% of the problem accounts getting suspended, but the remaining 10% continued to post slander. On June 11, 2021, Hibiki announced that it would take firm legal action.

Source: Bushiroad