Story by Shahana Yasmin
Japan has scrapped an unusual collaboration with Netflix’s reality dating show Badly in Love after backlash over its decision to promote the series as part of a campaign encouraging the rehabilitation of people who have committed crimes.
The ministry of justice’s rehabilitation bureau announced on Friday that it was ending its tie-up with Badly in Love season two, which follows young men and women from Japan’s “yankii” subculture as they live together, pursue relationships, and confront difficult pasts.
Yankii refers to a Japanese youth subculture associated with delinquent behaviour, rebellious attitudes, and distinctive styles, particularly from the 1970s onwards, with yankii often portrayed through dyed or styled hair, modified school uniforms, motorcycles and, in some cases, involvement in street gangs.
The first season of Badly in Love arrived on Netflix in December 2025, quickly becoming a breakout hit in Japan and beyond: it spent four consecutive weeks at No 1 in Japan’s weekly Top 10, reached the global Top 10 for non-English-language series for three weeks, and also charted in South Korea, Singapore, Hong Kong, and Taiwan.
Season two premiered worldwide on 4 August, with all 10 episodes released in three batches over three weeks, and moved the action from the first season’s school setting to a tropical “Marine Academy” in Okinawa, where nine new contestants with complicated pasts were brought together.
By the time the ministry had pulled its campaign, Badly in Love was No 1 on Netflix’s Japanese TV chart, while also ranking highly across several other Asian markets.
The backlash intensified after the fifth episode of season two, when one contestant revealed that he had been arrested after he “set someone on fire” as a teen. The confession spread rapidly on Japanese social media, despite the contestant saying they regretted it, with viewers questioning how someone who had admitted to such a serious act could be presented as part of a government-backed rehabilitation campaign.
Some accused the programme of turning criminal behaviour into entertainment, while others questioned whether the ministry had shown enough consideration for people who had been victims of crime.
Former vice education minister Hiroyuki Yoshiie, known as the “Yankii Teacher”, said on TV Asahi’s ABEMA Prime that setting someone on fire was an extremely serious act that could amount to attempted murder, adding: “I think it’s pretty uncool to proudly talk about past exploits.”
The ministry then received complaints that the collaboration could leave crime victims feeling uncomfortable and the collaboration might appear to be making light of past offences, according to Kyodo News.
TikToker Yuna, who said she had previously been offered a place on Badly in Love, argued on ABEMA Prime that people who had committed offences still needed somewhere to belong, saying that seeing others work towards rehabilitation could make viewers think, “Maybe I can change too.”
Season 1 participant Shunya Tsukahara at an event that can be translated as the ‘Great Yankii Exhibition’ in Tokyo; Yankii refers to a Japanese youth subculture associated with delinquent behaviour, rebellious attitudes, and distinctive styles (AFP/Getty)
The ministry initially argued that the show offered precisely the kind of story its rehabilitation campaign was intended to promote: contestants confronting difficult upbringings and past offences while attempting to change through their relationships with others.
The bureau said it had reviewed the finished programme before agreeing to the partnership and believed its themes reflected the rehabilitation message: “People can change. Together.”
Instead, the partnership itself turned into part of the controversy. Around 2,000 posters featuring the cast were distributed to probation offices and other related organisations across Japan, with the images showing the heavily tattooed contestants with slogans like “Rehabilitation, bring it on!” and “Getting back on your feet is love”.
The campaign was due to remain in place until early September, but the ministry announced last week that it would be withdrawn. “There was no intention to condone crime or delinquency itself, nor to glorify or downplay such past acts,” it said in an official statement, adding that they had received “many concerns and criticisms” that crime victims could feel “discomfort or have unresolved feelings”.
Critics have accused the series of turning criminal behaviour into entertainment, and others questioned whether the ministry had shown enough consideration for people who had been victims of crime (Netflix)
The ministry confirmed that it was discontinuing collaborations with the series since they failed to meet its intent, to “raise awareness and deepen understanding of the significance and role of ‘rehabilitation and protection’”.
“This decision does not negate the difficulties faced by those who are struggling to live, including those appearing in this work, or the efforts to rehabilitate those who have committed crimes in the past,” the statement read.
Facilities around Japan have been told to stop displaying the campaign posters and Badly in Love itself will continue without the government tie-up.
Badly in Love is streaming on Netflix.
