TOKYO (TR) – The Ministry of Justice has abruptly canceled a promotional tie-up with the Netflix reality series “Love Joto” following intense public backlash over a contestant bragging about a history of horrific violence. In one example, the contestant boasted about setting a person on fire, reports Zakzak (Aug. 21).
Season 2 of the reality show follows a group of men and women with troubled pasts living together in Okinawa Prefecture as they attempt to turn their lives around. However, a massive online firestorm erupted after a contestant began reciting extreme past criminal acts as if they were a badge of honor.
Scenes of the contestant boasting about “setting someone on fire,” “sinking someone in the ocean,” and naming a “survival knife” as a favorite weapon quickly went viral on social media.
Viewers flooded the internet with criticism, accusing the program of “glorifying crime” and showing a blatant lack of consideration for the victims of such violence.
Facing mounting pressure, the Ministry of Justice’s Rehabilitation Bureau issued a statement on August 21, formally pulling the plug on their collaboration with the show.
Blur their responsibility
The bureau explained that the fundamental goal of its rehabilitation initiatives is to support those trying to reform, not to affirm their past crimes or blur their responsibility.
“While we had no intention of affirming the crimes or glorifying and making light of these past acts, we received many criticisms and concerns that crime victims would feel intense discomfort and unresolved pain,” the ministry stated.
Officials also noted that they had received anxious feedback from the public, including volunteer probation workers. Ultimately, the ministry concluded that the backlash made it “difficult to fulfill the original intention of the tie-up,” which was to deepen public understanding of the rehabilitation process.
The bureau added a concluding caveat, stating that the decision to cancel the collaboration is not a rejection of the cast members themselves or of the broader efforts made by former offenders struggling to rehabilitate and reintegrate into society.
