Actor Jackie Chan (成龍) caused outrage among Japanese netizens when he was quoted as saying that: “Sometimes, I would like to see some countries hit by great disasters, such as a tsunami or a great earthquake” in a recent interview with The Associated Press.
Chan went on to say that: “In the wake of the disaster, you would see the whole world coming to help that country … if there are no tsunamis, no earthquakes, no one has anything to do, then politics comes into play — I’ll attack you, you’ll attack him — I don’t like to see such things.”
It is not the first time that Chan has sparked controversy, and the mention of tsunamis and earthquakes touched a nerve in Japan.
Thousands of netizens have posted comments about the story on Yahoo’s Japanese Web site. Many said they are fans of the actor, but had been upset by his comments, while other vowed to never watch his movies again.
One netizen said Chan was “crazy,” while another said he “has starred in too many action films and hit his head one too many times” and still others said his remarks were intentional, rather than a faux pas.
“Jackie Chan had pretended to be friendly toward Japanese to boost [movie] ticket sales, but is now completely [brainwashed] by the Chinese,” one netizen wrote.
Others said Chan’s past remarks showed he was “the Chinese Communist Party’s lapdog.”
Some netizens called for the destruction of all products featuring the action star, or urged Japanese TV stations to stop airing any advertisements featuring him.
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