Intense Backlash Surrounds Second Male Lead in “Can This Love Be Translated?”

Sota Fukushi is facing controversy over his casting in Netflix’s upcoming series Can This Love Be Translated?

The controversy began with Fukushi’s 2015 appearance in the Japanese documentary Please Teach Us About The War. He shared an emotional story about his grandfather, who trained to be a Kamikaze pilot before WWII ended.

In the documentary, Fukushi said he “respected” his grandfather and added:

“because of them, we are here today.”

Japanese viewers praised his emotional honesty. But Koreans strongly disagreed.

For South Korean audiences, Kamikaze pilots represent brutal wartime aggression, not sacrifice. Fukushi’s use of the word “respect” sparked claims he is romanticizing Japan’s militarist past.

Soon after the casting news, Korean netizens flooded online forums. They labeled Fukushi a “right-wing” nationalist, a serious accusation in Korea’s historical context.

One popular post on theqoo reflected this frustration:

“I don’t like the male lead to begin with.”
“The male lead himself is the first wall to watching it.”
“Right-wingers, barf.”
“A writer who plagiarizes, a male lead who forced an abortion, and a right-wing second male lead. LOL.”
“Apart from Go Youn Jung, there’s really no reason to watch this.”

As Can This Love Be Translated? builds hype, it’s unclear if backlash over Fukushi will hurt the drama’s Korean reception.

Netflix and drama producers are silent for now. Fans are watching closely to see if the controversy cools down or heats up.