Popular Japanese actor and singer Haruma Miura, known for his roles in Gokusen, Attack on Titan, The Confidence Man and Bloody Monday, was found dead at his apartment in Tokyo’s Minato ward on Saturday, July 18. While investigations are still ongoing and his agency has not yet released an official statement regarding the cause of his death, the Japanese media is widely reporting that he took his own life. He was 30.
Who was Haruma Miura?
Born on April 5, 1990 in Ibaraki Prefecture, Miura was a child star who made his television debut aged seven in the NHK drama Agri. A talented performer, he started a dance group with two fellow students called “Brash Bats,” but as his acting career started to take off, the group went on a hiatus.
Miura’s popularity as an actor continued to grow during his teens thanks to appearances in dramas such as Fight and Mother at 14 as well as movies like Koizora and Naoko. His role as Yusuke Iki in the latter won him the Sponichi Grand Prix Newcomer Award at the Mainichi Film Awards in 2009.
One of Miura’s most famous parts was a leading one in the ratings-hit TBS drama Bloody Monday, based on Ryo Ryumon’s manga. He played the role of high school student Fujimaru Takagi, a genius computer hacker trying to clear his father’s name by solving the “Bloody Monday” mystery involving Russian terrorists.
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Miura celebrates 1 million followers on Instagram in a message to his fans
A big name in the entertainment industry, Miura appeared in a number of high-profile movies, including Gokusen, Crows Zero II and Attack on Titan. Directors would often cast him as the lead, including renowned filmmaker Shinji Aoyama for his drama film Tokyo Park.
Last year, Miura performed as Jessie in Ryo Tanaka’s crime-comedy The Confidence Man JP: The Movie and recently reprised the role for the sequel. It is due to be shown at cinemas from Thursday this week. The Confidence Man JP: The Movie was due to be shown on the evening of July 18 on Fuji TV.
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Miura posing with his book “Nihon-sei”
Aside from acting, in recent years Miura also became increasingly dedicated to researching traditional Japanese craftsmanship. He toured Japan’s 47 prefectures, interviewing local craftsmen about their work, a compilation of which he published in his book “Nihon-sei” (Made in Japan) this year.
What happened?
Worried that Miura failed to show up at work on Saturday, the actor’s manager visited his apartment at around 1 pm this afternoon. He found Miura hanged in a closet, unconscious. He was taken to a hospital immediately, where he was pronounced dead. An apparent suicide note was also found at Miura’s apartment, police said, though details of what was written have not been disclosed.
With a series of new projects coming up, Miura’s career looked more promising than ever. His latest post on social media (below), in which he announced details about his upcoming TV drama Love Will Begin When Money End (Okane no Kireme ga Koi no Hajimari), scheduled to start this fall, was only three days ago.
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Miura’s second single, “Night Driver,” is set for release posthumously on August 26, 2020. A prolific performer who had a huge following, Miura’s death at such a young age will be mourned by people throughout Japan.
If you or someone close to you is going through an emotional crisis because of cyberbullying or anything else that may be putting your or their wellbeing at risk, please know that there are available resources to help. The TELL Lifeline is available for those who need free and anonymous counseling in English or Japanese at 03-5774-0992 (9am–11pm every day) or via chat (Friday, Saturday, Sunday 10:30pm–2am). In case of emergency, please call 119 in Japan for help.
Featured image: Japanese actor and singer Haruma Miura attends a news conference of his TV series Two Weeks in Taipei, southeast China’s Taiwan province, 29 August 20. Photo: Imaginechina Limited / Alamy Stock Photo
