Recently, BLACKPINK’s Lisa released a cinematic music video for her song “Dream,” featuring Japanese actor Sakaguchi Kentaro.
Since the video’s release, Lisa has continued to post more behind the scenes footage and photos, showcasing her chemistry with Sakaguchi.
Despite widespread praise for their chemistry, Lisa found herself at the center of controversy after being accused of sexually harassing the Japanese actor.
The accusations began after a tweet circulated on X (formerly Twitter) that has garnered over 27 million views and 87,000 likes as of this writing. The tweet included scenes from the filming, specifically a scene in which Lisa was seen playfully biting Japanese actor Sakaguchi Kentaro’s arm.
Fans expressed their displeasure with the behavior of the Japanese fans, with one netizen writing: “This is the last tweet about this. The cyberbullying, racism, and degrading behavior towards the girl has left a very negative impression on Japanese people. I’m very disappointed. At least Korea is better.”
Another fan added, suggesting a possible smear campaign: “Whoever is doing this negative PR against Lisa will burn.”
A fan shared: “Although it was a slander started by many Japanese people, seriously, we need to do something about this situation where people are taking historical discriminatory statements made by a Thai and using them to say that Japan has been hurt and that discrimination should not be tolerated. Is there anything you can be proud of other than being Japanese?”
This spontaneous scene sparked widespread criticism and accusations against Lisa of sexually harassing the Japanese actor. Lisa was further criticized after she posted a photo of herself and the actor in bed on her Instagram account, which has garnered over 78 million views. The tweet, which was accompanied by the caption: “Woke up to a photo of Sakaguchi Kentaro and Lisa sleeping together.”
In response to the behavior of fans of Japanese actor Sakaguchi Kentaro, netizens commented,
- “Lisa should have kissed him to make you even more angry because she can have the people she loves play her friends.”
- “Kentaro is one of the few Japanese actors to achieve global success. Why are some Japanese netizens trying to sabotage his collaboration opportunities like this? Are you really doing this for Kentaro, or do you just want to “control” him?”
- “Japanese people are going through something like this right now. When Lisa’s foreign fans were weaving various fantasies with Korean male artists, Koreans felt how annoying it was. Now, can Japanese people also relate to this feeling? Koreans have been going through this for ten years. They’ve truly become numb.”
- “I always thought Japanese people were calm and confident, and that they were a safer place for Lisa than others. But it seems I was completely wrong. Why did they become so rude, insulting, and abusive to her just because of behind-the-scenes photos? It’s so sad.”
