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Voice Actor Megumi Hayashibara Sparks Controversy With Recent Blog Post

posted on by Ken Iikura-Gross
Hayashibara: “Japan's taxes should go 'first' to those who pay them (including foreigners living in Japan who pay taxes, of course)”

Japanese news outlet Jcast News reported on Monday that voice actor Megumi Hayashibara came under fire for a June 8 blog post. The report said that Hayashibara initially wrote “I had a fun trip to our neighboring country, Korea,” “There were some things Korean and Japanese TV don't broadcast,” “The unexpected press censorship is connected to the scary things happening in Japan right now,” and “It's actually been called a 'conspiracy theory,' so if you're interested, please look into it. Please judge for yourself.”

hayashibara_megumi_blog
Image via ameblo.jp

Jcast News notes Hayashibara's post was edited on June 9. The blog post now reads (roughly translated):

Changed as follows
I was contacted by a Korean friend after I featured a Korean YouTuber.
Right now, there is a conflict between the right wing and left wing in Korea, and if you make a statement that seems to support the right wing, the left wing will be sad. Conversely, if you make a statement supporting the left wing, the right wing will be sad. I was told it would "ignite an unnecessary conflict." It's true there are people who are sad because I, an "outsider," easily featured them.
It's a little late now, and it may add more fuel to the fire, but I'm sorry if anyone was hurt.
I omitted that part.
I can't reach out to those who have already been hurt, but I don't want more people to be hurt.
I don't think it's possible to convey this in such a narrow sentence, but I just wanted to convey how sad it is that Japan is so coldly indifferent to Japan that it doesn't even allow people to speak out

The Jcast News report further states additional comments in Hayashibara's blog post were also scrutinized — specifically, comments regarding getting out the vote in Japan.

Hayashibara said in the post (roughly translated):

No rice? In Japan?
Free assistance for some international students. The twisted truth that Japanese students have to pay back scholarships (which are basically debts).
Don't leave it to others, you have to go to the polls
I think we've come to a point where it's not the time to use words like "it won't change".
If things continue like this, Japan's Japaneseness will be lost.
Manners, attitudes, technology, and maybe even anime as freedom of expression.
Among them are some people who don't have manners when staying at private lodgings, foreign tourists who don't know the meaning of "yielding," and people who carve bamboo in Kyoto.
We need regulations and we need to crack down on them.
It will be like Japanese crayfish being eaten up by invasive species in an instant.
For example, it will become a world where the unspoken rule of lining up to buy something is lost.
I'm not criticizing any particular country.
Japan's taxes should go "first" to those who pay them (including foreigners living in Japan who pay taxes, of course).
I wonder if it would be considered nativist to want to use taxes on students who are currently supporting Japan and Japan's "disaster-stricken areas."
If Japan is exhausted, it will no longer be able to provide hospitality.
Slush funds are worse and more of a problem, but I wanted to say people who have the right to vote (from they're 18 years old) should think about that right once again.
Political statements are difficult after all.

As of press time both Yahoo! Japan News and Hayashibara's blog post received just under 700 comments combined. A cursory look at the comments shows a majority agree with the voice actor's blog post.

Internationally, though, fans have been critical of Hayashibara's blog post. Jeffery J. Hall, a Ph.D. lecturer at Kanda University of International Studies, posted about Hayashibara's blog post on his Bluesky and X (formerly Twitter) accounts. When looking at the replies to his Bluesky post, the comments generally criticize Hayashibara. However, replies on Hall's X post are mixed, although generally in favor of Hayashibara and even echo her sentiments. BBC reported in October 2021 that Twitter (before its change of ownership and branding) analyzed millions of posts from April 1 to August 15, 2020 and found “the political right enjoyed higher levels of 'algorithmic amplification' compared with their counterparts on the left.”

As of press time, Hayashibara has not made any further changes to her blog post or issued a statement regarding its content.

Update: Bluesky links corrected. Thanks, Greboruri.

Sources: Jcast News via Yahoo! Japan News, Megumi Hayashibara's blog, Jeffery J. Hall's Bluesky account, Jeffery J. Hall's X/Twitter account, BBC


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