Anti-Chinese videos with inflammatory and misleading content are increasingly appearing on Japanese online video platforms. Headlines such as „Chinese man destroys sakura trees“ or „Chinese student robs old man of cane and gets expelled“ are sensational at first glance, but often have no basis in reality. On 9 April, the Asahi Shimbun pointed out that this trend is due, among other things, to the use of artificial intelligence, which is becoming a tool for the rapid and mass production of such content.

According to media reports, the whole process works quite simply. The creators are engaged through temporary work platforms, where they are given specific assignments - for example, to create fictional stories on the theme of „Chinese people behaving problematically and ultimately suffering the consequences“. The platforms also provide detailed instructions. Simply give instructions to the AI and within minutes a video is produced, which is often highly emotional and heated. In many cases, however, it is not clearly stated that the content is fictional.

Such videos can reach hundreds of thousands of views and are often accompanied by advertising, from which their authors profit. According to Japanese media, financial motivation is one of the main reasons why this type of content is spreading rapidly.

Director of the Institute for United States and East Asian Research at Liaoning University Lu Chao pointed out in an interview with the Global Times that this is not just an isolated internet phenomenon. According to him, the trend is the result of a combination of the political climate and social mood in Japan. He also warned that some statements made by Japanese political leaders about Taiwan may be contributing to the creation of a distorted media environment and negative perception patterns.

Lu Chao also suggested that similar mechanisms for working with public opinion may have historical parallels, which he said raises concerns about future developments.

CMG