Vlas Kobara, a Russian YouTuber based in Japan, has denounced Moscow’s invasion of Ukraine and criticized President Vladimir Putin.

But Kobara cringes every time he checks his social media accounts because he expects to see abusive remarks and unwarranted insults directed at him because of what his homeland has done.

“I have been targeted by baseless slander and told that ‘Russians should leave Japan,’” Kobara, 29, told The Asahi Shimbun on Feb. 26, two days after Russia invaded Ukraine. “I am simply scared.”

He is not the only one.

Sporadic incidents of “Russia bashing” in Japan have targeted restaurants and shops, even those run by opponents of the war and people who are not even Russian.

Kobara, who was born in Khabarovsk in eastern Russia, started living in Japan after his mother remarried to a Japanese national.

He went to nursery school, elementary school, junior and senior high schools in Japan. Several years ago, he started working as a YouTuber and TV personality, and he has permanent residency status in Japan.

After Russia invaded Ukraine, he wrote on his social media accounts, “I hope this nightmare ends soon” and “As a Russian, too, this is unacceptable.”

He also said he can never forgive Putin for his actions.

But one of the first replies that Kobara received was full of snark: “If you (have time) for posting on social media in Japan, then you should hold a demonstration in Russia.”

He said some Russian expats in Japan who are his friends cannot criticize the Russian government even if they wanted to. They fear that if their anti-war protests become known, their family members in Russia could be detained, or they themselves would be in danger when they return to their homeland, he said.

Others are afraid that “exposing” themselves as Russians, even by openly opposing Putin’s attack on Ukraine, would make them targets of verbal abuse in Japan, he said.

Kobara said he feels crushed when he thinks about people in Ukraine.

He said it hurts when he sees such negative remarks against him, but he decided to continue speaking his mind on social media because “if I don’t say anything, it will make me look like I am supporting the war.”

POOR RATINGS, VANDALISM

A website where people can review and rate shops and restaurants using Google Maps now contains many harassing comments and insults directed at Russia-related businesses.

The Asahi Shimbun on March 3 found more than 20 of these businesses had received abusive comments on the site.

Google told The Asahi Shimbun that it removes messages and reviews when it confirms they are not based on actual experiences or truthful information.

On March 4, many of the messages had been deleted.

An owner of a Russian cuisine restaurant who came to Japan about 20 years ago said the business has become a target on the site.

“I am against the war, and I hope peace comes as soon as possible,” the owner said.

A woman who manages a Russian food shop called Aka-no-hiroba (red square) in Tokyo’s Ginza district tweeted in early March that her business was vandalized and a store sign was damaged.

She surmised that the vandals targeted the store because of its connection to Russia and the famous square in Moscow.

The woman is actually from Ukraine.

She wrote in a Twitter post, “We work here, hoping to be a bridge between Japan and Ukraine, Russia and other countries.”

The post was retweeted nearly 40,000 times and garnered many words of support and encouragement. Some people even offered to create a new sign or repair the damaged one.

On the afternoon of March 4, more than 10 people waited in line to shop at the store.

One customer, a 28-year-old woman who lives in Tokyo’s Shinagawa Ward, said she learned about the vandalism on social media and decided to visit the shop for the first time.

“I want the shop to do well despite the smear,” she said after buying some food there.

The manager said she is happy to see the increase in business.

“We have received so much support every day and are encouraged by the warm thoughts,” she said.

The woman is also thinking about her homeland.

She wrote on social media, “I sincerely hope that peace visits both countries and they become friendly.”

(This article was written by Natsuki Edogawa, Azusa Ushio and Yusuke Saito.)