The issue of Yoshiwa Higashitani, 52, a former member of the House of Councilors, known as Garcy, threatening actors and others through his exposure activities on video posting sites has become a topic of discussion. He is accused of five crimes, including violation of the Violence Offenses Act, for his habitual threatening behavior, and some experts related to the case have commented that the guilty verdict with a suspended sentence is a heavy judgment.

The defendant carried out a series of acts on video posting sites such as YouTube, repeatedly threatening several actors, including well-known actor Tsuyoshi Ayano. Although the videos posted by Higashitani have now been deleted, they have been widely spread through reuploads, and their impact continues.

Under the Act on the Punishment of Physical Violence, crimes such as threats, assault, injury, and property damage, which are subject to penalties under the Penal Code, are considered malicious if they exhibit habitualness and collectiveness. Higashitani’s actions fall into this category, and as a result, he has been accused of five crimes to date. This case has highlighted the problem of threatening behavior using social media and sparked a major social debate.