China cracks down on hate speech against Japan

Tencent, Douyin, Weibo, Netease and other leading internet platforms shut down accounts and warn against spreading extreme anti-Japan rhetoric.

Over the weekend, almost all of China’s major online platforms announced, respectively, that they are cracking down on hate speech against Japan, following a deadly stabbing against a Japanese school bus on Monday.

An unemployed 52-year-old Chinese man surnamed Zhou attacked the bus, resulting in non-life-threatening injuries to two Japanese nationals. Hu Youping, a female bus attendant, intervened to stop the attack but lost her life, according to statements from local police in Suzhou, Jiangsu Province, eastern China. Hu has since been honored as a hero in China and Japan, whose embassy in Beijing lowered its national flag at half-mast.

The shocking attack was followed by both an outpouring of condolences and praise and an ugly hate speech against Japan in China.

China’s leading internet companies have, respectively, launched a campaign against the extremist rhetoric within a short time. There is no publicly available information on whether the Chinese government, which closely scrutinizes the companies, was coordinating the campaign.

Commentators including Hu Xijin, the former editor of the Global Times newspaper, have warned that China “must avoid excessively exaggerating external challenges and hostility online, which turns extreme nationalism into a commodity of hating America and Japan, blaming most of China's issues on external factors.”

(generated by ChatGPT-4o)

Netease, a news and user-generated content platform caught the most attention early on, saying in a statement entitled Announcement on Handling Content Inciting Sino-Japanese Conflict and Extreme Nationalist Sentiments

Recently, a few users have taken advantage of certain events to incite extreme nationalist sentiments by distorting, exaggerating, or even fabricating content to post inappropriate remarks. Examples include promoting "anti-Japanese traitor eradication," calling for the establishment of a "modern-day Boxer Rebellion," spreading defamatory claims that the school bus staff who died rescuing others in Suzhou were "Japanese spies," and fabricating extreme populist statements such as "it would be best if all of Japan sank, leading to early racial extinction."

The platform immediately launched a special inspection to address these issues. Users who excessively interpreted the events and posted extreme remarks promoting group hatred and inciting ethnic tension have been dealt with accordingly. To implement the requirements of the Central Cyberspace Administration of China for rectifying "self-media" that seek attention at any cost, and to fulfill the platform’s primary responsibility for managing information content, we have muted or banned accounts involved in these extreme and harmful statements.

To address these disturbances, the platform will conduct centralized governance through review interception and page screening, taking measures such as deletion warnings, temporary muting, or banning accounts. Regular reports on the governance situation will be published.

Tencent, the operator of its signature WeChat and other leading online platforms, says in a statement entitled Tencent's Announcement on Combating Content that "Incites Sino-Japanese Conflict and Provokes Extreme Nationalism

Recently, the knife attack incident in Suzhou High-Tech Zone has been spreading online and attracting public attention. A few netizens have been inciting Sino-Japanese conflict and provoking extreme nationalism, fabricating various extreme statements. The platform firmly combats such violations and accounts, having dealt with 836 related violations and 61 offending accounts. Depending on the severity and platform rules, actions taken include muting and account bans.

We welcome netizens to supervise and report any violations, actively providing leads on illegal activities, and working together to foster a clean online space…

Weibo, China’s Twitter equivalent, says

Recently, the knife attack incident in Suzhou High-Tech Zone has garnered widespread attention and discussion. The suspect has been criminally detained, and local police are further investigating the case…However, during inspections, the platform discovered that some users deviated from rational discussion, excessively interpreting the incident, and posting extreme comments inciting ethnic hatred and endorsing the crime under the guise of patriotism. The platform takes these actions seriously…Promoting violence and glorifying crime in the name of patriotism is a desecration of true patriotism.

Douyin, the leading short video platform and elder sister of TikTok, says

Recently, Mrs. Hu Youping from Suzhou tragically passed away after performing a heroic deed, drawing significant public attention. Mrs. Hu's actions exemplified the kindness and bravery of the Chinese people, reflecting the spirit of selflessness and willingness to help others. Her passing has deeply saddened countless netizens, with many Douyin users expressing their respect and condolences on the platform.

However, the platform has identified some accounts posting extreme and erroneous statements, such as promoting xenophobia, spreading false accusations that the school bus staff were "Japanese spies," and creating malicious claims like "it would be best if all of Japan sank, leading to early racial extinction."

These comments have disrupted the positive and peaceful atmosphere of the platform and even incited unlawful behavior. In response, the platform has taken strict measures…Moving forward, the platform will continue to intensify efforts to identify and address harmful content.

Douyin has always advocated for a clean and positive community environment and opposes all forms of inappropriate speech. Douyin calls on users to help maintain a healthy and orderly online ecosystem. If any improper content is found on the platform, it can be reported through the following methods, and the platform will address it promptly: