A job posting requesting the production of a video criticizing China or promoting anti-China sentiment was posted on the website of the major job intermediary CrowdWorks (Tokyo), which took the measure of making the job request private on the 3rd. According to the company, it had determined that the request was likely to fall under the prohibited categories of "requests that may lead to misrepresentation of facts or manipulation of impressions " and "requests that lead to discrimination or defamation," as outlined in its guidelines.

　CrowdWorks provides a service that allows companies and individuals to outsource work to registered members via the Internet.

Fiction that "inspires divine punishment" is also an example

　The company has not disclosed the number of clients for whom it has taken measures to conceal job requests, or the number of cases. However, an investigation by the Asahi Shimbun into one client that the company acknowledged had taken measures to conceal requests revealed that between November last year and November this year, the company had received at least 14 requests for the production of videos that contained claims of "criticism of China" or "anti-China sentiment." All of these requests had been made private by the evening of the 3rd.

　The Asahi Shimbun confirmed the details of the client's seven requests from records that remained online and before they were made private. The requests included writing scripts for videos to be posted on YouTube and editing using AI ( artificial intelligence ) images. All of the job requests described the videos as "critical of China" or "praising Japan," and two of them gave examples of creations such as "fictional videos depicting Chinese people's nuisance and lack of morals, with the resulting consequences being meted out to them or divine punishment."

　The remuneration ranged from 1,500 to 5,000 yen per script, and 2,000 to 7,000 yen for editing. Several of the "requirements" for applying included "people who love Japan and hate China." The 14 confirmed cases listed contracts with a total of 31 people.