Japan is set to introduce laws to combat online abuse following the death of professional wrestler and reality show star Hana Kimura. 

The 22 year-old died on Saturday at home, with the cause of death not immediately known, but reports suggesting she had been severely troubled by offensive comments on social media. 

Aside from her wrestling career, she was among the cast of the popular Japanese reality series ‘Terrace House’.

Japan's Minister of Internal Affairs and Communication Sanae Takaichi has pledged to speed up government discussions around cyber-bullying legislation. 

She said: “The ministry set up an expert panel last month and has begun mulling over measures to facilitate information disclosure. 

"We're planning to study a policy that would simplify ways to identify the user when an anonymous person makes a post that infringes on another person's rights.”

And Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga added: “It is important to improve literacy on the internet so that users won't use comments to hurt others with slander.”

Japan’s former prime minister Yukio Hatoyama tweeted that Japan should consider penalties for those who target individuals with severe harassment online.