The race for online views is pushing some content creators to cross serious legal lines. 2swag, a Western YouTuber with over 1.4 million subscribers, has just faced severe funamation from the Japanese community after posting a nearly hour-long video showing him exploring and breaking into several buildings in Ikeshima, a small island in Nagasaki prefecture once famous for its coal mines.

In the video uploaded in early August, the YouTuber claims to be touring a city “abandoned for twenty years.” The issue exploded when the group decided to enter a residential home through a window to shelter from the rain. With complete disregard, the foreigners removed their coats, sat on the floor, and even started eating there. Although the YouTuber claimed in the video description that they had permission and broke no laws, Japanese viewers noticed disturbing details: the house’s fluorescent lights worked perfectly, the refrigerator was on, clothes were visible in the rooms, and a “close the doors” notice appeared clean and recent. In short, they broke into a private property that wasn’t abandoned, and to make matters worse, they did so wearing their dirty street shoes inside.

The situation worsened when the owner of the island’s old hospital, also explored in the video, publicly stated that they never granted permission to enter the building, adding that the YouTuber manipulated medical records and private documents on camera. Amid this social media uproar, the Nagasaki prefectural police have warned they may launch a formal investigation if a complaint is filed, reminding that entering a building without authorization in Japan is a criminal offense, even if the place appears unoccupied.

With more foreign tourists traveling to Japan’s rural areas to film illegal explorations, do you think authorities should start arresting and deporting content creators who upload videos committing such crimes for views?