On Monday it was announced that former TV announcer and political candidate Mari Takahashi sadly passed away last week. She was 27. A graduate of Keio University’s Department of Human Sciences, Takahashi also worked as an IT consultant and was a Miss Japan finalist. She was found lying in front of the grounds of her apartment in Chiyoda ward, Tokyo, on September 4. After being rushed to the hospital, she was soon pronounced dead. No cause of death has been announced, but due to the circumstances at the scene, it’s thought she took her own life.
Political Ambitions Thwarted
Takahashi had been scheduled to run in April’s House of Representatives by-election as a member of the Democratic Party For the People (DPFP) for Tokyo’s No. 15 district. However, two months prior, she withdrew and announced she was leaving the party. It was claimed that she had previously worked at a hostess club while receiving social welfare. Yuichiro Tamaki, the leader of the DPFP, stated that her endorsement had been revoked because of a “violation of the law that could not be overlooked.” Takahashi, though, strongly denied this allegation.
The former model stated that she received welfare after her father’s company went bankrupt, but not while she was working as a hostess. In a tearful Instagram video that was also posted on X, Takahashi claimed she was told to withdraw from the race and to cite “ill health” as the reason. “After the cancellation, she was inundated with criticism,” said one of her friends. “I think her ‘real suffering’ wasn’t the cancellation itself, but the slander and financial difficulties that followed. She may have been feeling more and more anxious every day.”
DPFP Leader Criticized for Post Following Mari Takahashi’s Death
Following Takahashi’s death, Tamaki posted on X: “I would like to make a request to the media. I urge you to consider the WHO Guidelines for suicide reporting into consideration. Is there any significance in reporting the suicide of an ordinary person?” His cold response to the tragedy was, unsurprisingly, heavily criticized. He later deleted the post and claimed he didn’t mention Mari Takahashi’s name out of consideration for her family. He added, “I was relieved to see that he was doing well on social media from time to time. That’s why I’m very surprised by the sudden news of her death and cannot help but feel a deep sadness.”
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