Logan Paul is reportedly wanted by Japanese police after the controversial vlogger posted a video of a dead body in the country’s infamous “suicide forest” — and Paul could be headed toward some even bigger trouble.
The 22-year-old YouTube star sparked international controversy last week when he posted video from a forest near the base of Mt. Fuji known as a destination for people seeking to commit suicide. In his video, Logan Paul came across the body of a man hanging from a tree and appeared to make light of the situation, laughing at the dead body and mockingly calling out to it. Paul zoomed in on the man’s dead body, and later included the body (with the face blurred out) as the thumbnail for his video, which sat atop YouTube’s trending videos for more than a day.
The video sparked a massive backlash and prompted two separate apologies from Paul, and now local officials in Japan are reportedly seeking him out. A report from the New York Post’s Page Six noted that police want to question Paul about the dead body, though did not say if he was suspected of any crime. Japanese law does not require people to report a dead body, though Paul did call police to alert them of the dead man.
But the controversy has not ended there, and new footage shows even more misbehavior from Logan Paul and his entourage during their trip to Japan. In videos posted to his YouTube page, Logan Paul was seen throwing Poke Balls at pedestrians, bicyclists, and even moving cars. He also chased people holding raw fish and later put the fish on the hood of a car.
Some of the highlights can be seen below.
Turns out, Logan Paul’s trip to Japan was problematic for many reasons ? pic.twitter.com/yhj2BYgk4G
— YouTuber News by PopBuzz (@YouTuberNews) January 5, 2018
In the wake of the controversy, some critics have called for Logan Paul to be banned from returning to Japan. While the move may seem drastic, it would not be without precedent. In the past, Japan has taken a strict stance with misbehaving foreigners and even banned socialite and reality television star Paris Hilton. As the Metro noted, Hilton was forbidden from entering Japan due to a drug arrest. She was planning to promote her fragrance and fashion line.
Logan Paul will make a comeback because no one can fire a YouTube vlogger: https://t.co/TRWGOxQMEa pic.twitter.com/tpIZz1EKdP
— Slate (@Slate) January 7, 2018
Though many have repeated the calls for Logan Paul to be banned from Japan, officials in the country have not given any indication that they are considering that step.
