Logan Paul said he wanted to raise awareness about suicide. Photo / Youtube
Logan Paul said he wanted to raise awareness about suicide. Photo / Youtube
American YouTube star Logan Paul has apologised after footage he posted online of an apparent dead body sparked a global backlash.
The 22-year-old faced a barrage of criticism after posting a video of his visit to the Aokigahara forest in Japan, the site of frequent youth suicides, under the title "We found a dead body in the Japanese Suicide Forest".
Paul, who has more than 15 million subscribers on YouTube, later deleted the video and apologised for being "misguided by shock and awe".
However the post was viewed more than 6 million times on YouTube before it was taken down.
In an intro to the video, seen by the Telegraph, he says: "This is not clickbait. This is the most real vlog I've ever posted on this channel.
"I think this definitely marks a moment in YouTube history because I'm pretty sure this has never hopefully happened to anyone on YouTube ever."
He ends his intro saying: "Now with that said, buckle the f**k up because you are never going to see a video like this again."
The Ohio-born actor, who rose to fame posting prank videos on defunct short-form video app Vine, is filmed exploring the forest with friends while wearing a trademark comical hat before stumbling across the apparent body.
His video includes a number of close-up shots of the man, whose face has been blurred out, and footage of the group standing next to him.
He later says to the camera "suicide is not a joke", adding: "Depression and mental illness are not a joke. We came here with an intent to focus on the 'haunted' aspect of the forest."
Actor Aaron Paul and Game of Thrones star Sophie Turner were among the high-profile critics who condemned the footage, as the vlogger's name began trending on Twitter.
"You disgust me," wrote the Breaking Bad star. "I can't believe that so many young people look up to you. So sad. Hopefully this latest video woke them up. You are pure trash. Plain and simple. Suicide is not a joke. Go rot in hell."
Turner posted: "You're an idiot. You're not raising awareness. You're mocking. I can't believe how self-praising your 'apology' is. You don't deserve the success (views) you have. I pray to God you never have to experience anything like that man did."
Others also condemned the video for its insensitivity. Another wrote: "You do not try to raise awareness of Suicide and Suicide Prevention by filming [this].
"You do not stand next to a suicide victim and make jokes. You do not show millions of children a dead body on YouTube. This is horrible and not okay."
Others urged YouTube to remove the "insensitive" and "disrespectful" video before Paul seemingly took it down himself. The link to the footage now goes to a blank video screen saying: "This video has been removed by the user".
"I'm often reminded of how big of a reach I truly have and with great power comes great responsibility. For the first time in my life I'm regretful to say that I handled that power incorrectly. It won't happen again."
Mt Fuji with Aokigahara Forest pictured in autumn. Photo / 123RF
The Aokigahara forest, which covers the slopes of the base of Mt Fuji, is a frequent site of youth suicides. In the past suicide rates in the forest have been so high police and volunteers have formed human chains to search for victims.
People living nearby have said deaths in the forest began to increase after the publication of a novel by Seicho Matsumoto in 1960 called Kuroi Jukai (Sea of Trees), in which two lovers take their lives in Aokigahara.
In an apology posted on Twitter, Paul wrote that he had intended to raise awareness about suicide prevention, providing a link with information on the American Society for Suicide Prevention.
"I'm sorry. This is a first for me. I've never faced criticism like this before, because I've never made a mistake like this before. I'm surrounded by good people and believe I make good decisions, but I'm still a human being. I can be wrong," he wrote.
"I didn't do it for views. I did get views. I did it because I thought I could make a positive ripple on the internet, not cause a monsoon of negativity. That's never the intention. I intended to raise awareness for suicide and suicide prevention and while I thought 'if this video saves just ONE life, it'll be worth it'. I was misguided by shock and awe, as portrayed in the video. I still am."
