Fuji TV finds itself embroiled in scandal after running incorrect translations in subtitles during a program last month. What might have been a simple editing mistake, however, has turned out to be a political gaffe of immense proportions. The mistake made it appear that the two South Koreans interviewed for the program hated Japan much more than their actual comments in Korean stated.
The station's apology came only after online criticism had built up, with many people complaining that it may have deliberately mistranslated the comments to fan anti-Korean sentiment among the Japanese public. Perhaps it came as a surprise to Fuji TV that many viewers actually understand both languages, and could easily hear that the Japanese subtitles did not match the spoken Korean.
Fuji TV denied the allegations that the mistakes in the subtitles and dubbing were in any way intentional. It claimed that the mistake was the result of human error during the editing process, and that no malice was intended. The station did admit to failing to check the final footage sufficiently.