A video posted to a Chinese social media platform shows a man speaking Chinese spraying an unidentified liquid onto the ground at a scenic spot near Lake Kawaguchi, with Mount Fuji in view, and it has drawn a warning that the act could be prosecuted even if the liquid turns out to be water.
Tohru Hashimoto, a lawyer and former governor of Osaka, said politicians should make clear that visitors who cannot follow the rules will not be let into Japan. He made the remark on the Kansai TV program "Shunkan LIVE Toretate!".
The spot is on the north side of the lake, marked by a large rock called Rusugaiwa, and is known for views of Mount Fuji across the water. The man in the video points at the mountain and complains that he came too early, before snow had settled on it.
What the video shows
He then turns to the weeds around the lake, calls Japanese people lazy for letting them grow, and says he brought a sprayer from home. He announces that he will spray the weeds and begins pouring the liquid on the ground, saying he will kill the plants with the chemical.
The man has since said the liquid was only water. A reporting team that visited the site found no obvious change: the weeds were still growing thick and green, and no patch of dead grass was visible.
A tourist shown the video said the practice should stop, adding that the environment and health were concerns.
Legal risk, and a call from Hashimoto
A lawyer experienced in criminal trials said that even if the liquid really was water, the man could face charges under the Minor Offenses Act or for obstruction of business if the local government decides to act.
Hashimoto, speaking on the same program, said he wants many foreign visitors to come to Japan, but argued that the government should show it will refuse entry to people who cannot observe basic manners.