Anti-Korean Promoting Japanese Company DHC Quietly Deletes Controversial Post Without Apology

[Asia Economy Reporter Kwon Jae-hee] Japanese cosmetics company DHC, which faced backlash as an 'anti-Korean company,' has deleted posts by Chairman Yoshida Yoshiaki that were criticized for promoting discrimination against Korean and Joseon residents in Japan.

According to Kyodo News on the 1st, posts on DHC's website under Chairman Yoshida's name containing discriminatory content against Korean residents in Japan have been removed.

The report states that posts suggesting that competitor Suntory mainly employs Koreans (Korean and Joseon descent) in its advertisements and is being mocked online, as well as posts accusing NHK, which investigated Yoshida's discriminatory actions, of being the root cause of 'Koreanization' of Japan, have disappeared.

The series of posts by Chairman Yoshida were criticized as excessive acts of promoting discrimination, and it appears that DHC deleted the posts to avoid further crisis.

It is understood that DHC has not expressed any apology regarding this matter nor announced any measures to prevent recurrence.

▲Arita Yoshifu Member of Parliament [Image source=Yonhap News]

Earlier, Arita Yoshifu, a member of the Constitutional Democratic Party in the House of Councillors, hinted at the possibility of raising issues regarding Chairman Yoshida's promotion of discrimination during a press conference held last month. Arita is a leading figure in the enactment of the so-called anti-hate speech law, the "Act on Promotion of Efforts to Eliminate Unjust Discriminatory Speech and Behavior against Persons Originating from Outside the Home Country (Japan)."

He said, "Anyone can see that these expressions are 'excessive' and continue despite criticism," adding, "If municipalities like Shina and Machi (basic local governments) that partner with DHC do not take action, I believe lawmakers will move, or public opinion questioning 'Isn't this strange?' will reach lawmakers."

Among local governments that felt a sense of problem with Chairman Yoshida's discriminatory remarks, some have decided to terminate partnership contracts with DHC, and this trend is expected to spread.

This content was produced with the assistance of AI translation services.