TOKYO (TR) – An apparel brand has come under heavy fire after posting a video showing a smartphone taped to a moving Tokyo Metro train, prompting accusations of reckless behavior, security breaches, and potential obstruction of business, reports Zakzak (Aug. 31).
The controversial video, originally uploaded to Instagram and TikTok by the streetwear brand JANPARI, shows a man affixing a smartphone to the exterior of a Hibiya Line train carriage using duct tape. As the train departs Kodemmacho Station toward Naka-Meguro, the man is seen sprinting down the platform alongside the moving train before fading from view.
Believed to be a bizarre promotional stunt imitating a viral overseas social media trend, the clip sparked an immediate and furious backlash. The video has since been deleted from the brand’s official accounts.
While some viewers speculate the video may have been cleverly edited — noting a suspicious cut between the taping of the phone and the platform sprint — netizens were quick to point out the inherent dangers. Even if the device was a dummy or the footage was altered, sprinting down a busy public transit platform poses a severe collision risk with other passengers.
The stunt also raised serious security alarms regarding Japan’s subway network. “It’s terrifying to think what could happen if that wasn’t a smartphone,” one commenter wrote. “Thank god it wasn’t a bomb.”
Others pointed to potential legal consequences, suggesting the creators could face charges for property damage or forcible obstruction of business, particularly if the device had fallen onto the tracks between stations.
The promotional attempt also drew widespread mockery, with social media users questioning the creator’s logic.
“If they had an accomplice at the next station to retrieve the phone, they could have just had that person film from inside the train,” one user pointed out. Another coldly remarked, “Did they shoot it this way because they don’t have any friends?”
Whether a genuine hazard or an elaborately edited fake, the brand’s desperate bid for attention has left it facing intense public scrutiny and accusations of prioritizing online clout over public safety.
