American Blogger Apologizes for Video Featuring Dead Body in Japan
Paul posted a video of himself walking with friends in the Aokigahara forest near Mount Fuji, known to be a site of frequent suicides. They come across a man's hanging body and react with shock, but also a number of jokes.
Critics commented the jokes were "disrespectful" and "disgusting."
Paul posted an apology Tuesday on Twitter, saying "Where do I begin. Let us start with this. I am sorry," explaining that in his daily production of video blogs, or vlogs, "it is easy to get caught up in the moment without fully weighing the possible ramifications."
"I intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention and while I thought 'if this video saves just ONE life, it will be worth it,' I was misguided by shock and awe, as portrayed in the video," Paul wrote.
The video has been taken down, but segments remain online.
Suicide rates in Japan are the highest in the developed world. Statistics on suicides specifically in the Aokigahara forest, where people choose to take their lives because it could take days to find their bodies, are not available as authorities fear they would publicize the site.
Paul has more than 15 million subscribers to his YouTube channel and nearly four million Twitter followers.