Japanese apology culture

Although apology press conferences are a common occurrence in Japan, it seems that remorseful faces and long-winded apologies have become more frequent on Japanese television in recent months. From politicians apologizing for sexual harassment, entertainers apologizing for inappropriate contact with minors, to representatives of sports organizations apologizing for physical and moral harassment conducted under their direction, the reasons vary but the style of the press conferences is remarkably similar.

Those who apologize in such situations are often externally motivated by what they consider to be public expectations. In other words, it is not unusual for an apology press conference to be held without a single complaint from the public. Such was the case with the Water Works Bureau of Kobe City earlier this week, where city representatives apologized because one of their employees had repeatedly taken 3-minute breaks to buy lunch. The public criticized both the city's decision to hold a conference for such a matter and the fact that they docked the worker half a day's pay as punishment.

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Ryo Fujii's "General Purpose Apology Video"

Perhaps in response to this spate of apology press conferences, video artist Ryo Fujii took to his Twitter account with the following message:

---"You know, it seems there are too many people having to apologize for such trivial matters, so I'm releasing this "general purpose apology video adaptable to all apology situations." I made it before but I couldn't think of a good use for it at the time. Please feel free to use it if you're in a jam. I think it can work as an apology for every possible problem."

Script

Note: In apology press conferences, formulaic expressions and a certain level of vagueness and indirectness are useful to ensure that all possible dimensions and all possible affected parties are accounted for. However, in this parody, Fujii exaggerates such language to ridiculous extremes. A recurring joke is the repeated usage of the character teki 的, which we have translated as "like" or "something like."

We've translated the video for you below, along with screen captures, by permission from Mr. Fujii

At the top left, the text reads: "Last night, some time past 10 pm." At the top right, the text reads: "Breaking News: "About those allegations ... Emergency press conference." Below that, the text reads: "Warning: this video has flash photography."

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Video Artist Ryo Fujii

If you are interested in seeing more of Ryo Fujii's video works, please visit his recommended collection of independent videos, commercials and music videos representing his unique brand of humor and creativity here.