Hikari Yamaguchi first captured Japanese gamers’ eyes with her bikini pin-up photos. She captured their hearts as one of the hosts of Xbox Japan’s Inside Xbox program. Right now, she needs all the love she can get.
According to paper Sports Hochi, Yamaguchi slipped on the balcony of her home on February 19, resulting in an injured cervical vertebrate. Unconscious, Yamaguchi entered intensive care. Yamaguchi regained consciousness; however, the left lower half of her body is now paralyzed.
As of posting, her name is still listed on Xbox.com’s Inside Xbox page. Inside Xbox is an Xbox Live-based program for Japan. There is no notice about Yamaguchi’s unfortunate accident.
Yamaguchi joined the show when she was 17 after a career as a “junior idol” at the age of 12, appearing in “image DVDs”, which are basically videos of idols in bikinis or lingerie. The daughter of famous singers Junichi Nitta and Hiroe Jun, Yamaguchi starred in image DVDs like “Sunshine Love”, “Hikari Age 13” and “Good-bye 15”. Besides releasing DVDs and photobooks, she also appeared in a few television dramas, before getting the Inside Xbox gig in summer 2009.
Japanese tabloids are running stories that her fall was no accident, that Yamaguchi tried to commit suicide. Her talent agency is denying that flat out. There are also rumours that Yamaguchi mutilated herself in her home’s bathroom, which her agency also denies.
The last entry Yamaguchi made on her blog was about “yummy” minestrone soup she purchased in Shibuya. “I thought it was going to be warm today,” she wrote, “but it’s cold.”
Yamaguchi is now entering rehabilitation, and all her scheduled appearances have since been suspended. She is 19 years old.
Culture Smash is a daily dose of things topical, interesting and sometimes even awesome — game related and beyond.
Leave a Reply