The dispute over the ownership of Diaoyu Islands stirred up a widespread anti-Japanese sentiment in China. When American-born, Taiwan based Leehom Wang (王力宏), a spokesperson for Nikon, posted and praised on his Weibo about the new Nikon camera he received, he was immediately attacked by Chinese netizens. Some comments were a bit more mild: “Showing off your Japanese products at this time, are you looking for a scolding?” Many left nasty messages on his blog: ”Stepping on this land mine will end up in death, doesn’t matter if you are a super star!” However, Leehom’s fans came to his support by posting he is just a casualty of unawareness. The netizens and the fans traded over 20,000 comments on-line. After filming a bath product commercial shoot for a Chinese company, Leehom remained offline. His company said he cannot be reached, and they cannot comment for him regarding his controversial endorsement of a Japanese brand during the sensitive Diaoyu Islands dispute. Getting Shot in the Crossfire As a spokesperson for Nikon (China region), Leehom reportedly made over $30 million NT, or about $1 million USD. He has a good marketing image in China. The trouble started when he posted on his Weibo yesterday about how happy he was with the new Nikon camera he just got, and how it will help him improve his photography skills. Many Chinese netizens immediately got upset with his posting, and start blasting Leehom’s Weibo with negative comments such as, “Japan causes so much pain in China,” and “Showing off your Japanese products in such a sensitive time, don’t you know what’s going on; We are disappointed!” Leehom’s fans were more logical in the situation, leaving comments such as, “In times like this, it’s so hard to avoid getting in the crossfire,” or “Let’s not discuss politics here.” One netizen even said, “Nothing is wrong with Leehom’s comment, whether he’s a spoke person or not. Nikon and Canon both make very good products.” Other fans offered the best advice for Leehom: Remain more low key as this is a sensitive time. Creds: Sina
I'm sure a great amount of the electronics in China originate or are derived from Japanese products...This is almost as embarrassing when they were burning down Japanese buildings and included SAMSUNG in their rage. A company that is...Korean.
