The Light and Shadow of SNS: Kao Miura's Thoughts and Deep Gratitude to “Moriguchi Transport”
Figure skater Kao Miura (20, Oriental Bio/Meiji University) posted on his X (formerly Twitter) account on January 27th, urging restraint from slander and insults. He stated that he had received abusive comments via Instagram direct messages (DMs) regarding the results and performance of the Four Continents Championships, which he won for the first time in three years.
Social media has become inseparable from our lives. As the Milan-Cortina Olympics opened on February 6th, we present a column themed “Athletes and Social Media,” drawing on words from Miura, who arrived on the 3rd, and interview notes from Sumitada Moriguchi.
The abusive comments Miura received: “I was shocked.”
Ping, ping. The smartphone notifications wouldn't stop.
“This is annoying.” Miura felt indignant.
“Personally, I don't get that depressed or anything like that. It's just that when they come through Instagram or DMs, I think
‘This is annoying.’ It was a message meant to say,
‘Stop sending them directly because it's annoying.’ It had a bit of anger in it.”
February 3rd. Terminal 1, Malpensa Airport, outside Milan. Despite just finishing a roughly 15-hour flight, he recounted what had happened to him with a polite tone that showed no sign of fatigue.
The offensive comments began after the Four Continents Championships.
Though he placed fourth in the free skate, he defended his lead from the short program (SP) and edged out second-place Cha Junhwan (South Korea) by 0.11 points. As he himself reflected, “There are many challenges,” he did have mistakes in his jumps. Yet, after giving his all, he clinched his first championship in three years.
However, what followed were razor-sharp words sent via Instagram direct messages.
“You don't deserve first place.”
“Shouldn't your first quadruple toe loop in the free skate be counted as a fall?”
Most senders appeared to be foreign social media users.
"I was a bit surprised. I hadn't really experienced that kind of thing before. Directly, I mean. (This time) a lot came directly. And quite a few were from overseas, too. It's just competition, after all. To put it bluntly, people who aren't really experts just think whatever they want. So even if they say
‘You don't deserve first place,’ I'm like, 'No, no, I just performed my short and free programs.' I don't really listen to that stuff. It was just that the notifications were getting annoying."
The notifications kept coming.
Two days after the competition ended, he posted on his X account asking people to refrain from sending abusive comments.
Original text on X post:
“Regarding the recent results, I've received various opinions and some rather aggressive comments directed at me.”
"I can understand the feelings behind some of it, but I wish people would stop slandering me about things unrelated to skating! I suspect people making such slanderous comments are likely sending them to others too, so I want them to stop. I think it hurts people. Sorry for getting off topic!"
“That's not okay,” Miura's sentiment behind the post
Social media has become inseparable from daily life. This holds true for athletes as well.
Miura maintains his own X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram accounts. While some suggest, “He should just quit social media,” he responds, “People say I should quit Instagram, but I also have posts related to sponsors (who support me). It's not that simple.”
After the Four Continents Championships, he urged restraint on abusive comments because social media is inseparable from daily life, and he imagined the pain it causes his peers.
“It's not about me personally. But the people doing this are sending it to all sorts of people. Seriously, stop it. Some people get hurt by that. I think there are people who can't bring themselves to talk about it and just suffer in silence. That's not okay.”
He mentioned that he often talks with fellow skaters about abusive comments and puzzling posts on social media. It was likely this exposure to their struggles that led to his recent post.
(part of the article on Sumitada Moriguchi and fan-nickname of "Moriguchi Transport')
Sharing joy through social media
Finally, I'd like to touch on something Miura revealed.
After the Four Continents Championships, when he urged restraint on social media regarding abusive comments, staff from the Japan Skating Federation (JSF) immediately reached out asking, “Are you okay?” They handled it appropriately.
“Some people questioned whether my comments might invite more attacks, or if the federation was handling things. But they reached out to me right away. I was very grateful.”
The Japanese Olympic Committee (JOC) announced it will station six staff members, including lawyers, on-site at the Olympics to counter defamation and abuse. In addition to AI-powered monitoring, they are establishing a support system that includes manual checks by staff.
Social media can hurt people, but it can also spread wonderful sights and words.
I hope it remains a place where athletes and viewers can share joy together.
Medal or no medal, I'll still be supporting him from afar. 
I'm sure he would have provided good support if he were still competing.
