Uniqlo founder says sex video shot in Beijing store is 'disgusting'
|
Version 0 of 1. The founder of Japanese retailer Uniqlo says he was appalled by a viral sex video shot inside its flagship Beijing store, describing it as “disgusting”. The film became an internet sensation in China last month and sparked government outrage. “Just hearing it makes me sick. It’s disgusting,” Tadashi Yanai, who is Japan’s wealthiest person, told the Wall Street Journal. Millions of Chinese people watched the video after it was uploaded to social media sites, turning the store in question into an unlikely tourist attraction for selfie-taking Beijingers who continue to pose for shots outside. But the film caused consternation among Communist party officials. China’s internet watchdog claimed it had violated the country’s “socialist core values” and police subsequently detained at least four people, including the couple featured in video. Criminal charges were reportedly brought against one man, a 19-year-old from northeast China, who was allegedly responsible for leaking the video on to the internet. Related: Uniqlo sex video: film shot in Beijing store goes viral and angers government Chinese police initially said they were investigating rumours the sex video had been part of an elaborate marketing stunt by Uniqlo. However, in his first comments on the episode, the company’s chief executive rejected those claims. “This is the last thing we would have anticipated happening in our store,” said Yanai, 66, who opened the brand’s first outlet in Hiroshima in 1984 and is now worth $26.4bn (nearly £16.9bn), according to Forbes. Yanai said the episode would not affect Uniqlo’s plans for expansion in China, where the retailer has about 370 stores but hopes to open up to 3,000. “Our Chinese business is trending very smoothly,” he said. Uniqlo had previously condemned the video and warned customers to behave themselves. But public relaions experts say the company may have missed an opportunity to capitalise on the infamy produced by the video. Eugene Chew, from the international advertising agency JWT, told the Wall Street Journal Uniqlo should have found a way to laugh at the incident, saying: “The brand missed an opportunity to respond with humour.” Additional reporting by Luna Lin |