The news of the incident has angered and disappointed the Japanese public. Two Japanese men in their 20s were detained by Chinese police after one of them took off his pants to show off his butt on the Great Wall while the other stood there recording the image.
The local government issued arrest warrants for the two Japanese nationals on January 3. The Japanese Embassy in China confirmed on March 14 that both had been released and returned to Japan in January. However, it did not provide further information on whether they would be subject to entry bans, fines, or other penalties.
Two young Japanese men were detained by Chinese police for taking off their pants and exposing their butts on the Great Wall.
Japanese media first reported the incident on March 13, immediately attracting great public attention.
“For a Japanese person to do such a shameful and outrageous act,” one netizen commented under the Nihon Television News post. “If Japanese people continue to defame themselves overseas like this, the image of the entire country will be seriously affected.”
Another person expressed outrage: “This is an insult to both the Chinese and Japanese people in front of the whole world. The identities of these people should be made public so that they can be held accountable and to prevent such ugly behavior from happening again in the future.”
On the Japan Today page, another opinion expressed concern: “Incidents like this show the moral, educational and social decline in Japan in recent decades.”
The incident raised concerns about moral decline among the country's youth.
In China, the incident is also causing a backlash, especially in the context of historical tensions between the two countries. According to AFP, on the social media platform Weibo, the hashtag "Japanese tourist arrested for offensive behavior on the Great Wall" has attracted more than 60 million views as of the morning of March 14.
Many people expressed outrage, even using harsh language towards the Japanese tourists. According to The Japan Times, Chinese actor Chen Yitian - who has more than 7 million followers on social media - also criticized the actions of the two tourists, calling them "disgraceful" and disrespectful to "my Great Wall".
