Japan’s Justice Ministry has cancelled its collaboration with Netflix’s controversial dating reality show Badly in Love following public criticism that the programme could be seen as glorifying past criminal behaviour.
Earlier this month, the ministry’s Rehabilitation Bureau launched an unusual campaign with Netflix featuring a promotional poster starring cast members from the show’s second season, including several heavily tattooed men.
Badly in Love focuses on Japan’s yankii, or delinquent, subculture, bringing together young men and women with troubled backgrounds. Some participants have previously been involved with motorcycle gangs or organised crime groups.
The series has attracted international attention since its debut in December, with Netflix reporting that its first season remained among the top 10 most-watched programmes for several weeks in South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong.
The Justice Ministry had initially supported the collaboration because it believed the participants’ stories of difficult childhoods, atonement and personal growth reflected the idea that people can change and rebuild their lives.
However, the partnership faced criticism after a Season 2 episode featured a cast member who said he had been arrested as a teenager for setting someone on fire as a way of proving he was not “chickening out”.
In a statement on Friday, the ministry said the collaboration was never intended to endorse or glorify crime, but acknowledged concerns that the campaign could cause distress to people who had been victims of crime. The partnership will therefore be terminated, although the show itself will continue streaming without government involvement.
The ministry stressed that ending the collaboration did not mean it opposed rehabilitation efforts for people who had committed offences in the past.
Executive producer Dai Ota previously said the production team had held extensive discussions before Season 1 to ensure the programme would not be interpreted as condoning violence. He said the intention was instead to show young people who had often been marginalised as “social outcasts” while highlighting their struggles, personal growth and efforts to change.
