Attempts to exploit patriotism fall flat

KOJI YANO, a 47-year-old Japanese actor who has made a career in China, has been the subject of discussion on social media since the remarks he made on a Japanese television show years ago, criticizing Chinese dog owners for their impolite behavior, were put in the spotlight. China Youth Daily commented on Wednesday:

Yano's allegedly stinging remarks about some Chinese people's poor pet-keeping abilities, which were made years ago, have been dredged up and described as "insulting the Chinese people" by some so-called online opinion leaders, who often play up and sensationalize such remarks to tap into people's patriotism and so gain more followers.

However, this time it has not worked out that way. Not only has the hype regarding Yano's "unfriendly" attitude toward irresponsible dog owners failed to make a fuss, the flaws in its logic have also come under attack. Many argue that Yano, a longtime friend of the Chinese people, who is even married to a Chinese woman, has laid bare his repentance over Japan's crimes against China before and during World War II in many of his television series. And his complaints about Chinese dog owners' bad manners are not false claims, nor are they intrinsically insulting.