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French TV show angers Japan with insensitive ‘Fukushima Effect’ joke

Ryan Bailey

Franco-Japanese relations took a punch to the gut this week when French TV presenter Laurent Ruquier appeared to mock the victims of the Fukushima nuclear disaster via the medium of goalkeeper photoshopping.

Following Japan's surprise 1-0 victory over France at the Stade de France on Friday, a broadcast on TV station France 2 showed a composite image of goalkeeper Eiji Kawashima with an extra set of arms, blaming the extra limbs — and his excellent performance — on the "Fukushima Effect."

While the audience found the joke delightful, Japanese dignitaries haven't been as impressed. The Guardian reports:

On Tuesday, Japan's chief cabinet secretary Osamu Fujimura called Ruquier's remark, a reference to last year's nuclear crisis in Fukushima, "inappropriate". He added that the Japanese Embassy in France had sent a letter of protest to the TV station France 2. The letter said the remark "hurts the feelings of people affected by the disaster and hinders efforts for reconstruction," Fujimura added.

The nuclear disaster last March was triggered by a 9.0 magnitude earthquake, causing a tsunami that claimed at least 15,000 lives. Considering how recently the tragedy occurred, the Japanese have found the joke to be in extremely poor taste, and await an apology.

Video vis KCKRS

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