Recently, some unauthorized Japanese videos with Chinese subtitles have appeared on Chinese social media, accompanied by numerous confusing and suggestive statements, causing concern among many Japanese citizens. According to Nikkei News, these videos typically depict everyday life scenes of Japanese women, but the subtitles misleadingly include phrases such as "I am Ryukyu," "Ryukyu is Chinese territory," and even highly provocative statements like "I come from Ryukyu, China." This series of incidents has not only caused panic among those whose videos were stolen but has also prompted Japanese media to question whether Chinese social media platforms are attempting to influence the current tense political situation between Japan and China through manipulated videos.
Japanese women's life videos were manipulated and subtitled with Chinese subtitles.
In one altered video, a woman walks down the street with the caption: "I am Ryukyuan. If I could live in China..." This video clearly combines unrelated content with a politically charged caption, intending to mislead viewers into believing that the woman supports or expresses a stance that Ryukyu belongs to China. Another video features the same woman with the caption: "I am not Japanese. I want to live in China." These captions were clearly added later and are not part of the original video.
These altered videos are clearly intended to mislead the public, especially by linking Okinawa or Ryukyu with China's political relations. Under the account that posted the videos, the victim revealed that because she doesn't understand Chinese, she couldn't comprehend the subtitles. She felt panicked and confused when she saw these false tags. She stated, "I really don't understand why this video was altered like this, and why so many people liked it. I'm very worried about the impact it will have."
It is understood that the social media account of the person who posted the video has nearly 80,000 followers. The account claims to be from Japan and identifies itself as a "Ryukyu elementary school teacher." The posting style incorporates Japanese language and kana. The videos frequently feature Japanese women and are accompanied by politically charged subtitles, all without the consent or authorization of the original video subjects.
A Japanese idol's video was stolen and misused with false subtitles saying "Ryukyu should return to China soon."
Japanese idol videos have also been stolen. Recently, an unauthorized video of Japanese idol Miyu Kishi appeared on Chinese social media, with false subtitles such as "Hoping Okinawa will return to China soon" added to it. Kishi's agency was surprised and strongly denied adding such Chinese subtitles, expressing concern.
Is China implicitly supporting social media?
Such acts of distorting Japanese films to mislead viewers appear to be tacitly approved by the Chinese government. In China, all social media platforms are subject to strict government monitoring and control, making it difficult to imagine these politically charged posts being disseminated publicly without government approval. A Japanese journalist stationed in China pointed out that the purpose of such incidents seems to be to send a political warning to the Japanese government. He stated that a Chinese government official once said that if Japan and the United States use Taiwan as a political card, then China will use Okinawa as a card. Such remarks suggest that the Chinese government may be deliberately using these social media platforms to intimidate Japan, implying that just as Japan claims Okinawa as part of its territory, Taiwan should also be part of China. This strategy appears to be using Okinawa as a basis for political pressure on the Taiwan issue.
Furthermore, some Chinese media outlets have long questioned whether Okinawa (the Ryukyu Islands) belongs to Japan. This questioning has attracted considerable attention and discussion in Chinese society, and some comments on social media seem to be supporting this kind of political propaganda, further exacerbating diplomatic friction between Japan and China.
Japanese government responds
In response to the frequent occurrence of unauthorized video alterations on Chinese social media, the Japanese government issued a statement on the 26th of this month, strongly opposing these actions. Cabinet Secretary Seiji Kihara stated in the statement, "We believe there is no need to respond to the reports in Chinese media, because Okinawa is Japanese territory, and that is beyond question." The Japanese government maintains its position that Okinawa belongs to Japan and emphasizes that such actions should not be ignored or considered minor.
These incidents of video manipulation not only pose a challenge to Japanese society but also draw greater attention in international relations. China's actions on these social media platforms, whether intentional or unintentional, reflect the Chinese government's strategy in handling territorial disputes: utilizing the influence of social media for political propaganda and manipulating public opinion through disinformation. The rapid spread of these videos has a significant impact on victims and their public image. Although the Japanese government has issued a clear stance, it has yet to find concrete measures to prevent the recurrence of such incidents.
This article, which describes how Chinese social media platforms misappropriated and altered a video of a Japanese woman, adding Chinese subtitles to promote Ryukyu independence and its early return, first appeared on ABMedia .
