"Claiming 'My Daughter Was Turned Into a Japanese' - Angry Chinese 'Subway Kid' Mom Wins Lawsuit"

A Chinese mother felt offended when her daughter's photo was introduced as Japanese and filed a lawsuit, winning the case.
[Photo by Pengpai Newspaper]

[Asia Economy Reporter Hwang Sumi] A Chinese mother filed a lawsuit and won after feeling offended when her daughter's photo was introduced as Japanese.

According to the Pengpai newspaper on the 2nd, the Hangzhou Internet Court recently ruled that Mr. Du must pay 15,000 yuan (2.81 million KRW) in damages in a portrait rights infringement lawsuit filed by the mother of the girl who became famous as the "subway kid."

The lawsuit originated from Mr. Du introducing the girl as a "Japanese little lady" on his blog last July.

Mr. Du posted a photo of the girl, saying, "The brave little Japanese lady who rides the subway alone carrying her bag does not sit even when there are empty seats but stands," and added, "Standing while using public transportation is an unwritten rule and tradition among Japanese people."

He also elaborated, "In Japanese homes and schools, children are taught to give up their seats for the elderly and disabled."

Chinese netizens who saw this reacted strongly, saying the girl in the photo is a three-year-old Chinese child. They demanded an apology from Mr. Du, accusing him of disguising the photo posted by the girl's mother on her blog as Japanese and using it to glorify Japan.

However, Mr. Du neither apologized nor removed the photo from his blog, prompting the girl's mother to file a lawsuit.

After the court ruling, the girl's mother posted on China's version of Twitter, Weibo, saying, "Justice prevails," and added, "The lawsuit was started to protect patriotism, so the compensation amount is not important."

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