SNA (Tokyo) — A recent BBC investigation of sexual harassment in Japan sparked a major debate on social media within mainland China. In particular, the discussion developed into a verbal battle between men and women, many of whom expressed divergent viewpoints on what issue was most significant about the story.

The hour-long BBC documentary Exposing the Men Selling Videos of Sexual Violence Filmed on Public Transport was originally broadcast on June 7. It focused on the issue of chikan in Japan, which is a Japanese term referring to acts of groping or sexual harassment of women in public areas. This discriminatory practice has been a major societal problem in Japan for decades, to such a degree that even some travel agencies have warned tourists about it before their arrival.

In this program, BBC undercover journalists interviewed a Japan-based group of Chinese nationals who produce and sell videos on the internet showing acts of chikan in Japan and in other countries.

Maomi, the nickname for the owner of an infamous chikan website which targets a Mandarin Chinese audience, told BBC that he managed a fifteen-person team producing videos portraying chikan. From this team, he receives about thirty to a hundred raw videos each month.

BBC offered a Chinese-language version of its news documentary, which was soon picked up by users of Weibo, a Chinese version of Twitter and the largest social media platform in the country. Many Chinese netizens shocked by the story, learning how such an illegal activity had become an industry. Many commentators initially expressed their appreciation to the BBC reporters for their bravery and professionalism in bringing the story to light.

However, many were also disgusted by the fact that the chikan ring remains in place and that the criminals suffered no consequences for their actions. Although the BBC reported that Maomi fled Japan after being directly confronted by its journalists, the website is still running and continues to sell the videos.

One interesting trend that soon developed within the Chinese social media reaction was that many men and women adopted decidedly different views as the discussion proceeded.

A large proportion of the men saw the main problem as being a BBC attack on the national honor of the Chinese people. Some of them even questioned the authenticity of the report, and the BBC’s motives in producing it.

Many Chinese women, however, saw the issue quite differently, believing that the lewd acts targeting other women remained the most significant aspect of the story. They saw it not as a national insult, but as a report highlighting the discriminatory behavior of men in general.

This, in turn, provoked many men to denounce these female commentators as being “feminists” who were failing to come to the defense of the Chinese nation under a foreign assault.

Foreign news agencies are routinely criticized for being “hypocritical,” “anti-revolutionary,” and “subversive” when discussed on Chinese social media. The BBC itself has previously been accused of practices such as adding dark camera filters when portraying Chinese cities with the alleged objective of making the country seem dark and gloomy.

“No wonder we end up with such a low birth rate and marriage rate!” one Weibo user despaired.

Within a couple of days, censors began to crack down on the heated debate. The comments allowed to remain online are mostly from the perspective of the nationalist influencers.

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