Assemblyman Commits Suicide Over Netizen Reaction To Blog
by Manuel Gil-Mateos on Sunday, July 7, 2013
by Manuel Gil-Mateos on Sunday, July 7, 2013
Iwate assemblyman Koizumi Mitsuo has died in an apparent suicide.
When a prefectural assemblyman Koizumi Mitsuo’s blog went viral over his criticisms of a local hospital, netizens reacted strongly, disagreeing with his attitude towards hospital staff.
As news spread of the angry blog post, complaints flooded in — some calling for the assemblyman’s resignation.
But the story took a turn for the macabre when police announced recently that Koizumi’s body had been found in the water near the Oshida River dam in what appears to be a suicide.
Did Iwate Prefectural Assemblyman Commit Suicide Due To Blog Trending Over His Criticisms Of Hospital? — Prefectural Police
On June 25 at around 5:00 am, Assemblyman Koizumi Mitsuo (56) — of Kitayama, Morioka City — was found to have fallen to his death by a cousin of his in the area around the Oshida river dam, in Hiranuka, Ichinohemachi. This was reported to the Ninohe District Police Department. Police are investigating the case with the probable cause of death as suicide.
The Prefectural Assemblyman posted comments on his blog on June 5 such as “Is this a prison?” when he had been called by number at a prefectural hospital while awaiting a medical examination, and his blog consequently went viral. On June 9 he closed down his blog, and apologised at a press conference, saying “I did something that I cannot make amends for”.
According to the above-mentioned Police Department, the Prefectural Assembly was sharply dressed, and was already cold when it was found.
According to the Prefectural Assembly Office, by June 21 the volume of e-mails asking for the Assembly member’s resignation reached 762 messages. Mr. Koizumi was elected as the representative for the Ninohe electoral district, and this was his first election as an assemblyman.
