BEIJING (SCMP): Two Chinese women have come under fire for lying down in the middle of a highway in Japan to take “life photos” while traffic was paralysed after an accident.
One of the women who uses the handle @Dongjingfacaitu on social media posted a video of her and her friend lying, sitting, drinking whiskey and walking a dog in the middle of two queues of cars stuck on a highway between Tokyo and Mount Fuji.
The traffic jam was caused by an accident involving two tour buses. The incident injured 47 people, mostly foreign tourists, including people from Hong Kong and Taiwan.
It was reported that none of the victims suffered from serious injuries, but the road was closed for the rescue teams to help the victims. It took hours for the traffic to return to normal.
The woman who posted the controversial video also said they missed the chance to see Mount Fuji on a clear and sunny day, but “everyone in the car was laid back and we even had our life photos taken on the highway”.
The woman’s post soon went viral on social media in both Japan and China, and triggered a wave of criticism, including some calling for the repatriation of the woman.
One online observer in Japan said: “Their behaviour brought trouble to other people.”
While a Chinese commenter said: “Japan should repatriate her. This kind of person that does not respect other countries’ laws is the reason why some people have bad impressions of Chinese people.”
A third spotted that the woman even wore a jacket with the price tags still attached, and suspected that she intended to return the clothes after wearing it. Some influencers did this before to have photos of them wearing new clothes taken for free, which was widely criticised online.
The woman, who has been working as a property agent for eight years in Japan, and has 3,400 followers on social media, posted an unapologetic video on April 8.
In the video she said she was “thick-skinned”.
She said that the controversial video was removed by the social media platform, and in its place, she set a photo of herself lying on the highway as her account’s cover image.
Japanese lawyer Hiroshi Mizogami told Fuji News Network that the women’s behaviour was dangerous.
Japan’s Road Traffic Act prohibits anyone from lying down, sitting down or standing on the road in a manner that obstructs traffic. Any violation can result in a fine of up to 500,000 yen (US$3,500). - South China Morning Post
