TV announcer Ako Kawada found dead in car in apparent suicide

Monday 26th May, 12:59 PM JST

TOKYO —

Freelance TV announcer Ako Kawada, 29, was found dead in her car in Tokyo’s Minato Ward on Monday morning, in what police believe was a suicide. Police said they received a call from a passerby just after 6 a.m., saying that a woman was slumped in the front seat of her car. When police arrived, they found Kawada dead and two charcoal briquettes in the backseat.

The car was parked up the road from where she lived, police said, adding there was a note on the front seat addressed to Kawada’s parents. Kawada, who was born in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, was on the TBS network from 2002 until March 2007. Since then, she has been a freelance announcer, most recently for TV Asahi’s “Saturday Scramble” program. On her blog last week, Kawada had said she was worn out and needed a break.

Latest 15 of 64 Total Comments Show All

1proudamerican at 03:53 AM JST - 27th May

mean to sound
KenjiYamamoto at 04:32 AM JST - 27th May

perhaps it was lost love or something... may be even murder...

i have no idea, but if financial problems was not her modus vivendi, then the cause may be something else.
swibbs at 05:04 AM JST - 27th May

The sad truth is that she probably just wanted her internal pain to end, and now she is with out pain. this is a mental illness not often recognised in Japan, depression. And it affects millions. RIP
Blue_Tiger at 05:29 AM JST - 27th May

Tragic. Terribly tragic...
1GiantStudMuffi at 05:46 AM JST - 27th May

This is a sad story. I too enjoyed watching her, and was shocked by the news. I'm still waiting for proof that she did in fact kill herself. On her blog the last entry was 5/24. Didn't seem out of the ordinary.
8iamhappy8 at 02:09 PM JST - 27th May

We'll miss you Ako...

Btw, this is the same phenomenon as medical doctors who commit suicide during their tough residency years. Basically, when you are over-worked, your life becomes lifeless (ie. everything you used to enjoy doesn't seem to be enjoyable anymore). This is medically termed "anhedonia", and is probably the PRIME reason why Ako and medical doctors in the US alike would want to commit suicide.
romulus3 at 05:09 PM JST - 27th May

This is to inform you that your message on JapanToday.com has been removed for the following reason: Offensive/vulgar

Maybe it was, but I wager you ob its accuracy.
tclh at 07:48 PM JST - 27th May

GW

"To all of the above who call this suicide sad etc etc because she was "" cute, beautiful...."" are you saying if she wasnt then its OK to oneself off,some people on this thread are extremely shallow...."is that how you understand it?You are completely out of line.She is cute and beautiful because she is cute and beautiful.She committed suicide because for some reasons she committed suicide.I think people here,on this thread, just feel a very terrible waste ofa human life, and a very cute and beautiful one.Anything wrong with that?
usaexpat at 11:33 PM JST - 27th May

Sad news, she seems to have had everything going for her. Suicide is usually something reserved for people who's lives are in free-fall which doesn't seem to be the case with Ako Kawada. What a shame and a tragedy that she didn't see any reason to carry on.
OhioDonna at 01:03 AM JST - 28th May

I am saddened by her loss.
presto345 at 01:21 PM JST - 28th May

I had to cry when I read this. I have a daughter, just a few years younger, with the same job and I have seen her cry and have listened to the stories about the bullying, the competition, the jealousy, the things directors make her do and I can imagine that there is a point, a blind spot that makes everything seem hopeless. These things of course happen in other work places too. People do it because there was something in the brain all the time, or severe stress brought it on all of a sudden. One poster on this forum has no sympathy for them, but I do because they are/were impaired. I have also been confronted with suicide, several times, including my own brother who was very good at his job and a very sociable person. It leaves me wondering the rest of my life. Yes, the pain is terrible for those left behind, but yet you cannot condemn them. Their pain was even worse. I do hope some people in the industry Ako was in will reflect on what they might have contributed to her death. I am deeply sorry and sad.
ALHQQ at 03:31 PM JST - 28th May

How many suicides have to happen? It is NORMAL to have problems and even more normal to open up about them rather than bottle them up until taking ones life is the only option.

Later for this "shame" "honor" system, it's outdated, Japan needs to open up, we all have dirty laundry...
KaptainKichigai at 09:10 PM JST - 28th May

anybody feel sad or lonely and need a little lovin'?, i am throwing down the invitation...Come on and talk to me. I could have saved her...
antizombie at 11:12 AM JST - 29th May

Really sad. Rest in Peace.
BlueEmbers at 04:31 AM JST - 1st June

i have no idea, but if financial problems was not her modus vivendi, then the cause may be something else.

Do you mean modus operandi? Modus Vivendi is when you "agree to disagree".

I wonder if she had a boyfriend.