Online Attacks On Coronavirus Rule Breakers


Online attacks on coronavirus rule breakers

As stay-at-home life continues for people in Japan, some are taking to the Internet to criticize others they see as flouting coronavirus preventive measures.

Unlike many other countries, under its state of emergency, Japan asks that the public voluntarily restrain themselves from going out. Some citizens have taken it upon themselves to police others and have been dubbed "the voluntary restraint police."

A woman in her 20s took a bus from her hometown in Yamanashi Prefecture to Tokyo after testing positive for the virus.

She later came under fierce attack from social media users, with her name and other personal information disclosed online. Some posted messages equating her actions to murder.

Photos and footage of crowds in parks and other public areas have been posted online one after another, with messages criticizing people for not obeying the stay-at-home request.

A live music venue in Tokyo was the target of an anonymous threat after it streamed a performance staged without spectators and was told the next time the police would be notified.

Associate Professor Sekiya Naoya of the University of Tokyo Graduate School says people are increasingly worried and frustrated by an illness that's not fully understood, which is forcing them to exercise self-restraint.

Sekiya calls on those attacking the behavior of others to calm themselves, as their actions could be seen as harassment.