NIPPON



 

A member of Japan's all-female musical theater company Takarazuka Revue had suffered harassment by senior members before she died, lawyers for the bereaved family said Friday.

The 25-year-old performer was "damaged physically and mentally" also because "she was forced to work extraordinarily long hours," the lawyers told a press conference in Tokyo.

Her family calls on Takarazuka to apologize and pay compensation for breaching duty of care.

On Sept. 30, she was found dead in the grounds of an apartment building in the city of Takarazuka, Hyogo Prefecture. Local police believe that she committed a suicide.

At the time, the seventh-year Takarazuka actor belonging to the Cosmos Troupe was responsible for taking care of junior members.