Recently, when talking about tiktok's US business, foreign ministry spokesman Wang Wenbin said that tiktok's "hunting hunt" in the United States was a typical government coercion deal. Indeed, "either sell or close down" is a hegemonic act of the United States to suppress certain Chinese enterprises unreasonably. As an ally of the United States, some members of Parliament and officials of Japan have also been thinking about it recently, proposing to take action against tiktok. How will the situation develop? What kind of mentality do many users have?
Popular tiktok has 10 million users in Japan
Tiktok landed in Japan in the summer of 2017, and has repeatedly ranked first in the Japanese app store list, becoming the most popular short video platform in Japan. Tiktok has about 10 million users in Japan. Its content category is similar to that of the domestic short video platform, including singing, dancing, traveling, delicacy and comedy. The marketing methods include star entry, algorithm push and so on. TikTok has a large number of users.
As it is very popular among young people in Japan, tiktok has also become a platform for the Japanese government and some large enterprises to release information, publicize and communicate with young people. This summer, the Ministry of health, health and labor of Japan cooperated with tiktok to release a short video animation on the prevention of heatstroke in a timely manner; during the epidemic period, the official account number of Tokyo released the latest information of the new epidemic situation in the form of short video on tiktok to teach citizens how to prevent infection. In addition, Kanagawa, Kobe, Saitama, Hiroshima and Osaka Prefecture have also opened tiktok accounts.
Hiroshi Horikawa, a young Japanese who relies on tiktok to attract 1.8 million fans, believes that tiktok has changed people's views on him. Facing the camera, he said this feeling: "I used to have a little inferiority complex. Now I can release some interesting videos in tiktok, and everyone's views on me have changed. They all say that I am very interesting." If tiktok is banned in Japan, he says bluntly, "it will have a great impact on my spirit.".
Looking at the trend, Japan should take action against tiktok?
Judging from the current laws in Japan, it is very difficult for the Japanese government to take the first step to take action against tiktok. According to Japan's personal information protection law, there must be a reasonable basis for an enterprise to start an investigation. Unless it is the consumer himself that the information has been embezzled, the investigation can be started after filing a lawsuit. Even if consumers file a lawsuit, they can not directly disable the relevant application software, but give warning and ask for timely correction according to the program.
However, it is worth noting that as early as July this year, the "rule formation strategy alliance" of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan and some department officials held a meeting to discuss the potential risks of information leakage caused by Chinese application software including tiktok. After the meeting, the "alliance of members" decided to propose to the Japanese government in September to improve relevant legislation in order to restrict the use of application software provided by Chinese enterprises. Legal experts believe that once Japan passes the relevant laws, the government's intervention in the economic behavior of Chinese enterprises in Japan will be greatly increased.
Read the air! "Economic security" thinking is on the stage
Although there is a long and rigorous process from the proposal to the final law, it can be clearly seen that there has been a trend in Japan's political level: "economic security" is on the stage. In July this year, the term "economic security" was used for the first time in the framework determined by the cabinet meeting of the Japanese government, and the context is very clear: "we should promote the construction of economic security rules for material accommodation with countries with common values.". Such a trend and thinking is worthy of the attention of Chinese enterprises including tiktok in Japan.
There is a common word in Japanese called "reading air". When the central government of Japan has a trend, it is not necessary to say clearly that local governments and large enterprises can understand it. Even if there is no relevant law applicable to take measures against tiktok, in recent months, Saitama Prefecture, Kobe City, Osaka Prefecture and other local governments have closed their official tiktok accounts. When the political undercurrent is surging, Japanese young people are still happily brushing the screen and sending videos on tiktok, as if they exist in another dimension.