Recently, a post on the Chinese SNS Xiaohongshu (RED) mentioning Japan's "public shaming posts" has become a topic of discussion among Chinese netizens.

The poster stated, "Recently, I've often seen posts in Japan criticizing foreign tourists for bad manners. It was only after asking a Japanese woman on the language exchange app HelloTalk that I learned this is called 'sarashiage' (public shaming) in Japan, and some people consider it a part of manners education, thinking that 'people who don't follow the rules deserve to be exposed.' Honestly, I couldn't quite understand this way of thinking."

Furthermore, the poster cautioned, "It seems that not only foreigners but also Japanese people can easily become targets of public shaming in Japan. It makes me wonder if the harshness of Japanese netizens is etched into their DNA. In any case, people traveling to Japan should be more careful than usual about manners and rules."

In response to this post, Chinese netizens offered opinions that legal action should be taken, with comments like, "The person who was shamed should sue," and "They should just report it on the spot. They can sue for portrait rights infringement, or even go directly to the police."

Furthermore, criticisms were also raised, with comments such as, "It's so typical of Japan, isn't it? They're outwardly friendly but do malicious things behind your back," and "Japanese people are really malicious... They're overly polite to your face, but if something happens, they don't say it directly and instead do things secretly behind your back."

Moreover, comments urging caution were also seen, such as, "If you go to Japan, you should avoid doing anything that might displease others, not just for their sake but for your own as well," and "When I'm out with friends speaking in Chinese, Japanese people often follow me from behind with cameras and secretly film us. They're probably looking for content to post online. Those people usually wear masks, so everyone should be careful."

On the other hand, many voices pointed out that public shaming and online lynching are not problems unique to Japan, but phenomena widely seen in China and Hong Kong as well, with comments such as, "China's online lynching culture is far more terrifying than this," "Chinese people's secret filming is even worse. You can find it immediately if you look at the Chinese version of TikTok," and "There are many such shaming posts in Hong Kong too. There are many cases where Hongkongers are shaming each other." (Translation/Editing: Iwata)