Sino-Japanese relations have remained tense since Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi's remarks last year concerning a "Taiwan contingency," which prompted a stern warning from Beijing and even led to China discouraging its citizens from traveling to Japan.
Now, a new controversy has erupted on X (formerly Twitter) after a Chinese netizen used ByteDance's video generation AI, "Seedance 2.0," to create a video that casts Prime Minister Takaichi as a villain facing off against Conan Edogawa from "Detective Conan." The clip has sparked widespread anger among Japanese internet users.
The incident began when an account that frequently shares "Detective Conan" content posted the AI-generated video. In the clip, the character modeled after the Japanese prime minister is seen holding a pistol and firing at Conan. After Japanese netizens discovered the post, they flooded it with complaints, leading to its eventual removal.
However, users later discovered the video was a repost from a Chinese netizen. The original post included the comment, "Takaichi hasn't been blocked by Seedance 2.0 yet, so act fast," suggesting that the creator was aware that China's AI platforms might be censoring content related to Sanae Takaichi and decided to use Seedance 2.0 to create the video.
Japanese netizens quickly dug into the matter, arguing that such a creation was disrespectful and offensive to "Detective Conan" creator Gosho Aoyama. They also questioned the misuse of Chinese AI technology to manipulate Japanese IP, and the discussion rapidly gained traction.
The incident has left a sour taste, with many Japanese users calling the deliberate act of turning Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi into a villain in "Detective Conan" a malicious stunt. The topic quickly ignited a firestorm on Japanese social media.
▼ The issue became a trending topic on X.
Malicious videos like this are becoming increasingly common in the age of AI. It's safe to say that linking a beloved IP with real-world figures in this manner is rarely seen as just a joke, making the fierce backlash from the Japanese community entirely understandable.
Update: The Chinese Netizen, CuiMao, Responds to the Backlash in Japan
Later in the evening, CuiMao issued an apology on X addressing the response from Japan. He stated that he meant no offense to "Detective Conan" and that the video was originally posted as a meme. He expressed deep regret, saying, "I am very sorry that many Conan fans felt the original work was disrespected." He admitted it was a personal lapse in judgment not to consider the recent controversies surrounding "Detective Conan" in both China and Japan.
He also acknowledged that using the likeness of another country's political leader was indeed inappropriate. However, he argued that the video was clearly AI-generated and not meant to depict any real action, viewing it as a meme—a common practice worldwide. While apologizing, he pushed back against some netizens and media outlets who attacked him with sensationalist phrases like "assassinating Sanae Takaichi," calling it an exaggeration and a slippery slope argument that misrepresented his intent.
He also emphasized that this was not a collective action by Chinese netizens and that labeling it as "anti-Japanese behavior" was an overinterpretation. It was his personal post and did not represent the will of the entire nation. While he understood the backlash, he found criticism targeting the entire Chinese population to be discriminatory and inappropriate. He stated he could accept personal criticism but hoped it wouldn't be escalated to generalize all of China.
He stressed that he enjoys experimenting with AI and was simply testing the latest Seedance 2.0, insisting he holds no "anti-Japanese" sentiments and urged people not to misinterpret his actions.
The above is a summary of his post, which also includes a Japanese version. Readers interested in the full statement can view it via the X post linked below.