According to a report by Japan’s Sankei Shimbun on the 21st, 34-year-old video blogger and independent newcomer Harada Masaru (pictured) was successfully elected as a Nara city council member in the election held on the 20th. Harada enjoys considerable popularity among younger generations, but he has also drawn widespread criticism for his activities as a “confusing YouTuber.”
Image source: Japanese media
During the COVID-19 pandemic, Harada chose to eat sashimi without a mask at a supermarket checkout counter for a livestream. Harada also caused a disturbance at a clothing store, forcing a customer to return a purchased T-shirt, claiming it was counterfeit, prompting the store to call the police. In addition to these incidents, Harada has been arrested multiple times by Japanese police for various disruptive behaviors.
In 2024, Harada again found a “traffic code” in Chinese tourists. He lurked near Nara Park, creating controversial topics by staging incidents involving interactions between Chinese tourists and deer. Harada posted numerous videos on social media platforms depicting what he claimed was the misbehavior of Chinese tourists, all of which were “carefully edited.” By repeatedly hyping the “protection” of Nara’s deer, he gained enormous traffic on major social media platforms.
For the Nara City Council election, Harada emphasized his reform and commitment to improving Japan. His campaign platform centers on “protecting Nara Park’s deer from foreign harm.” He also listed his advantages for election on his social media accounts, including “I am more intolerant of Kurds, Chinese, or other misbehaving foreigners than anyone else,” and “My social media influence is comparable to that of (House of Representatives member) K?ichi Hayami; I am frequently in the news.”
On social media, Japanese netizens questioned the election results of this infamous internet celebrity, asking, “What are the Nara citizens thinking?” One Japanese netizen stated that it was unbelievable that someone known for various disruptive behaviors could win the election, adding, “I can’t believe he’s reformed so quickly. I’m worried about the image of Nara citizens in the public eye.” Some Japanese netizens believe that the trend of even infamous internet celebrities winning elections simply by “promoting xenophobia” is worrying. (Ling Ling)