Shukan Bunshun has published a piece regarding the death of Haruma Miura , and how it has shocked the entertainment industry. This piece is a guest post, which was translated by Arama! Japan Podcast co-host Hannah.

On the July 18, Haruma Miura was found to have hung himself in his closet, and was later pronounced dead at the hospital. He was 30 years old. There was a note found at the scene, and police are treating this as a suicide. 

Debuting in 1997 at the age of 7 on the NHK morning drama “Aguri”, Haruma hit mainstream success with the 2007 movie “Koizora.” Since then, he has maintained that A-list status. 

His sudden death shook the entertainment world. 

On the music program “Ongaku no Hi 2020” that aired at 2pm July 18,  watchers voiced concerns about Shirota Yu (34), who had appeared on TV dramas with Miura like “Samurai High School.” People were worried about the fact that he performed with eyes that were swollen from crying.

A entertainment professional stated, “Miura’s obituary had just been published that very day at 3pm. While Shirota was only supposed to appear from 7pm onwards, he was backstage in such a haggard state that even his manager was unable to say anything. They had been good friends for over 10 years, and even hung out together often. This death was truly a major shock for Shirota.”

“Furthermore the songs Shirota was slated to sing were GReeeeN‘s “Kiseki” and Disney’s “Remember Me.” “Remember Me” is a song about remembering the passing of [the movie character’s] father.”

“At the sight of Shirota’s tearful performance, hosts Nakai Masahiro and Azumi Shinichiro seemed troubled and at a loss for words. During “Remember Me”, Shirota’s eyes were still red and swollen. After the curtains closed, I thought he was probably crying, but I couldn’t bear to look any longer. Because everything was being shot live, I wondered what might happen on set, but Shirota was still able to sing perfectly even while crying.”

Miura was friends with many other celebrities. One such friend was Miura Shohei (32), who had appeared with Haruma on “Gokusen” (2008). One person, who knew both and worked on “Gokusen” with them, commented, “Shohei and Haruma were friends even to this day, earning the nickname “Mabudachi”. But Shohei was completely caught off guard, having heard nothing from Haruma or seeing potential signs that this might happen. As such, Shohei is still in a state of disbelief.”

“On the set of “Gokusen”, Haruma was very professional, completely memorizing all his lines. Even though he was more famous than most of his fellow cast members he didn’t have an attitude at all.”

“However, Haruma knew at the time that his agency had huge expectations of him. Because he was underage, he went to great lengths to not behave in a way that would get picked up by tabloids. He even put some distance between himself and his delinquent friends. At karaoke he’d opt for Southern All Stars or Yuzu, and maintained that good behavior as expected of a proper young man even in private.”

Even though they were extremely busy, both Miuras were able to find the time to go surfing together. Their surfing buddies that they had in Chiba answered our questions with the following:

“Miura would come at least once a month for several months in a row to come surfing. He really was a good person. He definitely had a busy schedule being a popular actor, and surfing provided him with the break he needed from all of that. This year however, with the pandemic, I wasn’t able to meet him at all. I really regret it. Why did this happen?”

We still don’t know the contents of Haruma’s suicide note, nor do we know why he took his own life. However, several hours prior to Miura’s death, fellow actor and costar of “Gokusen THE MOVIE”, Kaku Kento uploaded the following message that clearly had a deeper meaning:

“It’s so easy to make fun of the things people like or make light of things people work so hard for. It’s also super easy to deny or say that you like or dislike things. It’s just really easy. Easier than tying your shoes. I hope that going forward, people would be kinder online.”

Just like other celebrities, such as Kara’s Go Hara who passed away in November 2019, or Kimura Hana, concerns have been raised as to whether or not cyberbullying was one of the reasons behind Haruma’s suicide. 

Fellow actor Wada Masato (40) tweeted, “I can’t speak… why? What happened?” Yuji (32) who also appeared in “Gokusen” with Haruma tweeted, “Haruma tell me this is a lie. I don’t want to believe it. Just yesterday I was saying to my staff,  ‘It’d be great if the I were able to continue working in entertainment with those friends that were on “Gokusen” with me.’ Haruma, it’s always too soon, but when I see you again I want to be able to have a beer and cheers with you just like in the past. I hope to see you again.”

According to police, Haruma’s body has been transferred over to the police and is currently undergoing investigation as to the causes of this incident.

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If you or someone you know is considering suicide, please seek help! Here is a list of international suicide prevention hotlines!