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Reality show 'Bachelor Japan' cast member dies in suspected suicide
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ABC Television's long-running dating competition show 'The Bachelor' said that North Carolina native Matt James will become the show's first black contestant its 25-season history. (Shutterstock/Trum Ronnarong)
M
aria Hamasaki, a 23-year-old contestant on "The Bachelor Japan" reality show, died in a suspected suicide earlier this week, sources close to the matter said Saturday.
Her death on Wednesday was announced by Japanese video streaming website operator AbemaTV Inc., which produces the reality program "Ikinari (Sudden) Marriage" featuring Hamasaki among the cast. The company said it will suspend the production and distribution of the show following her death.
Police do not suspect any foul play, according to the sources.
"We, the staff, offer our sincere condolences," the streaming service said in a statement.
"Ikinari Marriage" follows a man and a woman who have been paired up and have to live 30 days together as a couple following a wedding. Season 4 of the program, which features Hamasaki, had been available for streaming since Aug. 1.
She had also been a contestant on Season 3 of "The Bachelor Japan" -- a Japanese adaptation of the popular American dating reality series "The Bachelor," which features a group of women who compete to win over a bachelor. The program is available on Amazon Prime Video, the streaming service by Amazon.com Inc.
According to her website, Hamasaki ran a business to deliver South Korean cosmetic items and also worked as a model.
Her death follows that of Hana Kimura, a 22-year-old female professional wrestler and cast member of the popular Japanese reality show series "Terrace House," who committed suicide after receiving a barrage of hateful messages on social media.
