Kago Ai Attempted Suicide

[neshcom]

[quote name='KARAmelody' timestamp='1315766138' post='108069']

Otherwise, when truly intended, it's a selfish act by its own nature because you don't give thought to the people who will be affected by your loss.

[/quote]

I hate this reasoning because, as selfish as you claim it to be, the idea that someone's suicide is selfish because of its effect on you and those around you is equally selfish. I've had genuinely serious suicidal thoughts and if someone was trying to convince me not to because how it would affect them, I would just be shockingly offended at such a self-centered guilt trip of a plea.



Kago's had a hard life and I feel sorry for her. From the Tokyograph report, I sort of doubt this was just a ploy for attention. I hope she can get counseling or have some sort of positive change in her life soon.

[Tsujiji]

I am sick to my stomach. I don't know what to say. I feel SO bad for her though. I am litterally crying right now over this. ;_; Kaaaagooo~~~



God damn, someone get her some counseling.



(edit) Going back and reading the rest of this thread~~~ Fuck all those fans on H!O saying shit like that. That's intolerable.

[eri]

[quote name='Petit Melon' timestamp='1315772477' post='108082']

eri, PlEaSe dun stip translating b/c of thissss!!1111 <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... ryalot.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cryalot:' />:cryalot:<img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... ryalot.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cryalot:' />

[/quote]



<img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /laugh.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':lol:' />



Hello-Online is usually a fun forum precisely because everyone is so young. When you just need to fan girl like a 10 year old, it is a good place since things are light and all happy happy. On the flip side, it is not a good place for serious discussion whatsoever. I should have known better than to even go there after such dramatic news.



Once TnB comes back, she can decide whether or not to take up the blog again. For that matter, Kago will probably not be blogging anyway.



But I won't do anymore if new entries come out. The whole thing makes me sad. What is the point of translating it? So people can get off on their voyeuristic need to hate? So "fans" can get off feeling superior to her? So people can know enough so they can talk shit, explain how she's living her life wrong, and tell the internet that They Know Best and Would Be So Different if It Was Me? Not worth it. There is no point in supporting a fandom like that.



(ahem, will continue to translate for Maeda and Wada and Mano, because they only bring joy and rainbows)

[eri]

Oh yeah! Ps. I don't actually want Al to break his neck. I was using an exaggerated analogy to point out the fundamental weirdness of his reaction.



Don't break your neck Al.

[Ap2000]

[quote name='eri' timestamp='1315777552' post='108090']



Oh yeah! Ps. I don't actually want Al to break his neck. I was using an exaggerated analogy to point out the fundamental weirdness of his reaction.



Don't break your neck Al.

[/quote]



Just let him crack it a little, so at least he feels it.

[Gerald]

[quote name='Ap2000' timestamp='1315778862' post='108094']

[quote name='eri' timestamp='1315777552' post='108090']



Oh yeah! Ps. I don't actually want Al to break his neck. I was using an exaggerated analogy to point out the fundamental weirdness of his reaction.



Don't break your neck Al.

[/quote]



Just let him crack it a little, so at least he feels it.

[/quote]

I'm sure, in a spirit of MMBBS friendship, eri wll take a broken rib/wrist/ankle as sufficient. Sometimes you have to be cruel to be kind.

[MiniLovely]

[quote name='neshcom' timestamp='1315775211' post='108087']

[quote name='KARAmelody' timestamp='1315766138' post='108069']

Otherwise, when truly intended, it's a selfish act by its own nature because you don't give thought to the people who will be affected by your loss.

[/quote]

I hate this reasoning because, as selfish as you claim it to be, the idea that someone's suicide is selfish because of its effect on you and those around you is equally selfish. I've had genuinely serious suicidal thoughts and if someone was trying to convince me not to because how it would affect them, I would just be shockingly offended at such a self-centered guilt trip of a plea.



Kago's had a hard life and I feel sorry for her. From the Tokyograph report, I sort of doubt this was just a ploy for attention. I hope she can get counseling or have some sort of positive change in her life soon.

[/quote]

It isn't malicious or criminal, but when you feel such misery and want to take your life you aren't considering how it would affect your employer/friends/family. Even if you do consider it, if you were to carry it out having thought about that, you outweigh your hopelessness and misery to the consideration of the people around you. Which, again, isn't criminal, but you don't consider as much the people around you who will be losing a daughter/son/mother/father/sibling/coworker/lover/friend. It's a dark and horrible place to be, it's hard to consider much more than your misery at all.



I feel so sorry for her that she is in that dark place because it's really a living hell. I hope she receives the help she needs. After an attempt like that, it would probably be good for her to be hospitalised for awhile, or something... Just so she can stabilise and get help. Taboo or not, I think it's plain to see that this situation is very very serious.

[momoirosaya]

Poor Kago D:

She was of my favorite H!P members, it's sad to see her life keep going in the wrong directions, all this bad stuff keeps happening to her... ):

They need to get her some help before she tries this again.

[tsukinobyouin]

[quote name='eri' timestamp='1315763071' post='108054']

Also...I don't read Kago as teenage-rebellion-gone-wrong. I think she's the product of the system.



She kind of has a screwed up family right? She's been financially supporting her mother, step-father, and siblings ever since she joined Morning Musume. She entered an adult, professional world at an age when she just graduated elementary school and dealt with perverts etc since then. She had a stressful teenage transition period where she tried to maintain her childish appearance and behavior, even while (ironically) she was being intensely sexualized by wota. Like all celebrities, she is probably surrounded by enablers and leechers who don't care about her at all and will drop her as soon as her behavior gets her in trouble.

[/quote]



This (your explanation paragraph) is actually more what I meant, I was just using teenage rebellion as a comparison. Similar to the way that many kids live their entire childhood/teen life constrained by very strict family, she lived those years constrained by her agency and way too many adult obligations for a young girl. When she started to get older, it seems like she wanted to do "real adult" things instead of being cutesy-minimoni-Kago, but with no real guidance and probably a lot of enablers, she didn't make the best choices in that area, and a lot of bad things resulted. It seems like her life has imploded on her in a number of ways, and I can see how she still might feel enormous pressure.





[quote name='eri' timestamp='1315777268' post='108089']

[quote name='Petit Melon' timestamp='1315772477' post='108082']

eri, PlEaSe dun stip translating b/c of thissss!!1111 <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... ryalot.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cryalot:' />:cryalot:<img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... ryalot.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cryalot:' />

[/quote]

But I won't do anymore if new entries come out. The whole thing makes me sad. What is the point of translating it? So people can get off on their voyeuristic need to hate? So "fans" can get off feeling superior to her? So people can know enough so they can talk shit, explain how she's living her life wrong, and tell the internet that They Know Best and Would Be So Different if It Was Me? Not worth it. There is no point in supporting a fandom like that.

[/quote]



I think I missed something. I'm assuming this is all related to comments at H!O?





Also a general comment - I have a very hard time seeing how attempted suicide is "selfish" or "stupid." Even if someone attempts suicide but purposefully does not succeed in order to get attention, that's still a huge sign that the person needs some sort of help or guidance in life. Whether or not you feel sorry for that type of person is a personal feeling, but I really don't think we can ever know enough about Kago's situation to know her motivations or how sincere she might have been. It's hard enough to know those things about someone you're close to in real life, let alone about a situation we only know about through media reports.

[SilentCalv]

I remember the first time she said it and I thought this was a repeated topic. Apparently I was wrong. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... pyeyes.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':puppyeyes:' />



Really hope that she gets help. Real help. Sometimes you just can't blame people for making the wrong choices all the time. I feel sorry for her but I really hate people committing suicides. Love ones suffer and you only bring grief to others. It's a mixed bag for me. Both angry and sympathy.



Kago, please get real help! There are a lot who cares for you!! <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... /smile.png' class='bbc_emoticon' alt='' />

[eri]

[quote name='TnB' timestamp='1315785834' post='108101']



I think I missed something. I'm assuming this is all related to comments at H!O?

[/quote]



Are you still in Japan? I've been covering Kago for you, right? But, over at H-O, I said I won't do it anymore because so many people are only interested in hearing about Kago to get their hate on.



Not that it matters - she probably won't be blogging any more.

[aisasami]

Poor girl, I hope she goes and gets some help before she turns into another Kahala Tomomi. Have any of the OGs try to reach out to her?

[Pi Mako]

Just saw this thread (been out all day), and the first thing that crossed my mind was just what a lack of GUIDANCE this girl has had all her life. From what I've read the past few years about her personal life, it seems that she came from a pretty screwed up family situation. When she was in Morning Musume, I always found it fucked up that she and Tsuji were teenagers, yet acted/dressed as though they were 4 years old. Guess why I never really liked either of them was because of the baby image they presented when they were teenagers. I agree that when Kago wanted to "become" an adult, her idea of indulging in adult things was pretty fucked up/skewed. Smoking, modeling in near-porno poses for some smutty photobook/magazine (whatever they were), cheating with some married dude, gosh I don't know what else =/= growing up.



The girl doesn't seem to have had any guidance in her life. But I honestly wonder if there have been any potential positive role models in her life that she's rejected. I also wonder if she's rejected any "help" that has attempted to come her way. Maybe she's completely blinded to the fact that her choices for the past 4 or so years have been constantly kicking her in the ass. It just kind of blows my mind that it's a repeating cycle:



1) poor choice is made

2) personal depression/suffering follows

3) bad publicity comes thereafter

4) worse depression follows, now again to the point of suicidal attempts



I mean, some of the choices she's made... it's like, does she NOT THINK of the possible negative consequences? Does she not even care? And then, if she doesn't care, and a negative consequence happens, it seems it fucks her up pretty bad in the end anyways, and this is a damn good example of it right now with the suicide attempt.



I don't know, I could write a fucking essay analyzing this girl, but she seems completely trapped in her own personal hell. I hope that there in fact IS help out there and that she fucking opens her eyes to take advantage of it.

[Gerald]

[quote name='KARAmelody' timestamp='1315781408' post='108097']

It isn't malicious or criminal, but when you feel such misery and want to take your life you aren't considering how it would affect your employer/friends/family. Even if you do consider it, if you were to carry it out having thought about that, you outweigh your hopelessness and misery to the consideration of the people around you. Which, again, isn't criminal, but you don't consider as much the people around you who will be losing a daughter/son/mother/father/sibling/coworker/lover/friend. It's a dark and horrible place to be, it's hard to consider much more than your misery at all.



I feel so sorry for her that she is in that dark place because it's really a living hell. I hope she receives the help she needs. After an attempt like that, it would probably be good for her to be hospitalised for awhile, or something... Just so she can stabilise and get help. Taboo or not, I think it's plain to see that this situation is very very serious.

[/quote]

^This.



A lot of people contemplating suicide think family/friends don't care about them, "they won't miss me when I'm gone".



I suffered depression for a long time as part of being agoraphobic and until you've been there you can't imagine what a debilitating, hopeless, place full of self-loathing it can be. I was lucky that I didn't sink low enough to think about suicide but looking back there were times when I was teetering on the edge.



In the UK if you try and commit suicide you are committed to a secure unit for a couple of weeks where you are given a psychiatric evaluation. I think it's a legal requirement but I might be wrong on that, certainly that's what happened to my nephew. When he was released there were a number of things done to help try and prevent a recurrence.

[Kaworu]

Holy fuck... this is sad.

It's just sad to see the trajectory that her life took after MM. It's obviously an addition of many shitty things in her life happening.



I just hope she makes it and is able to get over so many issues. Wishing the best for her.

[Madara]

I just learned of this sitting here in my office (I didn't check the board or my e-mail over the weekend). Luckily, my officemate is on vacation so I can keep the door closed and not have to explain what I'm going through. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... ryalot.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cryalot:' />



Kago should come back to New York. She has devotees here:









And she should leave her handlers behind, like this hard case with the clipboard here:



They're no help to her at all.



(P.S. That's Usako in the second picture.)

[Tsujiji]

Kago should come back to New York. She has devotees here:

YES. In Ameeeeeer'ca we don't care about scandals or haters. It just makes you more interesting.





Also both Nono and Tsunku blogged about her this morning showing concern. <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... ryalot.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cryalot:' /> <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... ryalot.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cryalot:' /> <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... ryalot.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cryalot:' /> I guess she's not bleeped out of UFA association anymore.

[Cyrene]

Stupid bitch or attention whore? Which is it Kago?



Sorry, but I have no sympathy for her or the people around her since she obviously needs lots of help and no one seems to be attempting to give her any.

2. Multiple FAILED suicide attempts means she either doesn't want to die (either consciously or on the subconscious level) which amounts to a cry for help no one seems to want to listen to, or she's just really bad at killing herself.

I just...I don't....what? Maybe it's a sign something is really wrong with her! Clearly something is so bad in her life that she really really wants to die, fame doesn't sooth the hurt a depressed person may feel.





Poor girl, I think she should go somewhere where she isn't known to recover and maybe build herself back up. It's unfortunate that she tried to kill herself and it even makes me tear up. I met her in Los Angeles and she was a dear then, but now I wonder if any of her smiles were real. I hope she heals to 100% and learns from this.

[Anderei]

She's mentioned before that she'd like to move to the US (back in 09? Maybe? I know she's mentioned it) but leaving everything you know and going to a different country would be pretty daunting.

[Ap2000]

[quote name='Anderei' timestamp='1315859378' post='108137']



She's mentioned before that she'd like to move to the US (back in 09? Maybe? I know she's mentioned it) but leaving everything you know and going to a different country would be pretty daunting.

[/quote]



Especially since her English doesn't really seem to be that extraordinary.

And what would her job be there anyway ? Waitress at a sushi bar ?

[neshcom]

Kago Ai’s lawyer speaks on suicide attempt

Posted on September 12, 2011 by tokyograph



Kago Ai’s lawyer Sadatomo Yoshinori released a statement to the media via fax on Monday, acting as her proxy to explain the situation regarding her suicide attempt on Sunday morning.



According to Sadatomo, he was on the phone with Kago that morning, and she told him, “Sensei, it looks like I cut my wrist.” Sadatomo urged her to go to the hospital, but she responded, “It’s fine. I just wanted to rest a bit, so I’m going to rest.” After that, she stopped responding, so someone from her management was sent to her apartment. Kago was found on the floor with a slit wrist and a stupor apparently caused by consuming a large amount of tranquilizers.



In the statement, Sadatomo also talked about Kago’s motive behind the suicide attempt.



Her boyfriend Ando Haruhiko, whom she was living with, was arrested on September 6 for attempted extortion. He tried to get out of a 20 million yen debt through intimidation, hinting to the other person that he had close connections to the Yamaguchi-gumi yakuza syndicate.



Kago began feeling some responsibility for the whole incident, to the point of thinking that Ando had perhaps been arrested for her sake. It was previously reported in June that Kago had been having conflicts with her agency Mainstream due to her relationship with Ando, and that her request for independence was rejected because of her contract. At the time, she publicly stated that her lawyer had managed to dissolve her contract, but it appears that the matter is still not over.



Mainstream president Ito Kazumitsu has tried visiting Kago at the hospital, but for two days in a row he has been unable to meet with her. Regarding Sadatomo’s explanation regarding her motive, Ito said, “That’s completely baseless. He’s making it [Mainstream's] fault.”



Ito also commented, “Maybe Kago still hasn’t been released from Ando’s mind control. My message to her? Contact me!” It is said that Kago has been out of contact with the agency since about half a year ago. Although Mainstream seems to still insist that Kago is under contract, it is possible that this incident may cause the company to cancel the contract.



Reports say that Kago is currently healthy, and she may be released from the hospital soon.



Source:

Sports Hochi

[Haru]

Hm. I don't know what to say to this. I still think it was genuine, not a stunt for publicity or whatever, but still...

Albeit I don't at all see where her lawyer is making it the management company's fault?

[Tsujiji]

I am going to attempt to recruit some of you~!







"I Support Ai" Youtube Project!



Due to the recent events, my friend Josh and I are organizing a video project to reach out to Kago. The idea is to gather up the fan base and show her some love, simply to remind her that we support her even in dark times. So we came up with the idea of putting together a massive Youtube video of fans from all over the world~! Josh, myself, Madara (and our friend Lawrence) already got some great footage for the video and even went to Birdland this evening (the Jazz Club she performed at last year here in NYC) and got the host to give her a message of support!



So here's how you can help!





- Submit a 5-10 second video with a positive message to Aibon. (Keep it short! We are smooshing these into one video montage!) Videos over the 10 second limit may be edited down to fit!

- It can be in English or Japanese~!

- Don't have a video camera? THAT'S OKAY! Take a picture of you holding a sign for her of encouragement! It can be as simple as "I support Ai!" Or "Get Well Soon!", etc

- I don't think this needs to be said, but this is the internet... XD;; Keep it clean!



Don't know what to submit? Here's some suggestions! Feel free to go off these or create a unique message of your own~!

- "I Support Ai!"

- "Sydney Australia loves Kago!"

- "Ganbatte Aibon!"

- "We love Ai! Please get well soon!"







Time is short! All submissions are due Saturday the 17th!

We want these messages of support to reach her as soon as possible so all submissions are due Saturday the 17th!



- All submissions can be sent to: kagoproject@gmail.com





Thank you SO SO much for reading this! <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... ryalot.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cryalot:' /> If you can pass this around the fandom, this would be fantastic!! ♥

[Haru]

Aha! I heard Josh talking about this over on H!O and already voiced my support, but I couldn't help because I have no webcam and my camera doesn't have sound in it's recordings.

Good lock though!

[yuzuriha]

Ooh, I will definitely record a webcam message later this week. <3

[SacredCultivator]

@Haru: You can simply just take a picture of yourself with a poster or something, that works as well, as there'll be a picture montage in the video as well.

[Madara]

Now up on my blog: a plea to Kago to come back to New York, complete with numerous pix of her smiles when she was here.

[Tsujiji]

Thank you guys for wanting to participate in this project~! <img src='http://mm-bbs.org/public/style_emoticon ... ryalot.gif' class='bbc_emoticon' alt=':cryalot:' />



And in related news, Kago's now on 24 hour suicide watch.

http://www.daily.co.jp/gossip/article/2 ... 8365.shtml

[Haru]

If she wasn't before but is now, has something changed that would've alerted hospital staff to watch her?

[neshcom]

More details

Details of Kago’s battle with management agency come to light

Posted on September 15, 2011 by tokyograph

The Sports Nippon newspaper has reported some further details regarding Kago Ai’s battle with her management agency Mainstream, which have been revealed due to her suicide attempt a few days ago.



Kago had been seeking independence from her agency since January but her request was rejected by Mainstream. In June, Kago stated that her lawyer had legally dissolved her contract, but it seems that the matter is still unresolved.



According to a source familiar with the matter, Kago was suffering during her time with Mainstream. Her work mainly involved local pachinko parlors, and it is said that she was getting only a small share of the earnings.



The source also revealed that Mainstream president Ito Kazumitsu was trying to arrange for Kago to appear in a pornographic film, and that there was talk of getting it distributed by a major movie company. Ito had tried to reassure Kago by explaining that a stand-in would be used for the sex scenes.



Regarding the claims, Ito commented, “More than the details of her work, I want to tell her to think about the situation she’s in now.” He continued, “I want her to already realize and understand the fact that she was with a criminal at the time of his arrest.”



Kago’s boyfriend Ando Haruhiko, whom she is living with, was arrested on September 6 under suspicion of attempted extortion. Ito has been opposed to Kago’s relationship with Ando ever since last year, and it was another factor in Kago’s desire to go independent from the agency.



Kago’s lawyer has stated that she is currently healthy but won’t be released from the hospital yet. Because it seems that Kago had cut her wrist without even fully realizing it (after consuming a large amount of tranquilizers), there are concerns about leaving her alone for now.



Source:

Mainichi Shimbun

Sponichi Annex