The Redmi Note series has always been known for providing great smartphone specs for less than RM1,000. Following the launch of the Redmi Note 9 series, Xiaomi had released a 2-minute long video on YouTube shortly after the global event. Unfortunately, the video has been removed as it has caused some controversy in Japan.
At first glance, it may seem like a typical fun youth-centric video that shows various aspects of the Redmi Note 9 series. It highlights the display, camera, fast charging and long-lasting battery life.
However, for the fast charging portion, the video had shown a man being inflated after eating sushi before exploding into a mushroom cloud over what appears to be Japan. You can watch the video from the 0:36 mark:
Obviously, this doesn’t sit well for the Japanese community as it was deemed insensitive for depicting an atomic bomb explosion in Japan. To add insult to injury, the inflated man was seen as a reference to “Fat Man” which is the codename for the nuclear bomb that was dropped at Nagasaki in 1945 which killed over 80,000 people.
Xiaomi has removed the video after receiving backlash and condemnation. They have also posted an apology note on its social media account admitting that the promotional material had contained ill-considered content and it respects users and cultures around the world.
According to Abacus, Xiaomi had clarified that the video was conceptualised and produced by a third-party agency for some global markets excluding Japan. It is worth highlighting Xiaomi had officially entered Japan in December last year and it is a tough market, especially for Chinese brands. It was reported that Apple commands 45% of the smartphone market followed by Sharp, Fujitsu, Kyocera and Samsung.
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