August 21, 2026 / 11:03 AM EDT
/ CBS/AFP
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Japan's justice ministry said Friday it will cancel a collaboration with a controversial Netflix dating show featuring ex-juvenile delinquents, following backlash against what some called the glorification of crimes. Earlier this month, the ministry launched an unusual partnership with the streaming giant's "Badly in Love," releasing a poster starring its Season 2 cast members, including heavily tattooed men and women. "Badly in Love" spotlights Japan's so-called "yankii" (delinquent) subculture by lodging together young men and women with wild and often criminal pasts, including former yakuza gangsters and motorcycle gang members."In Japan's first dating show for rebellious yankiis, 11 singles butt heads, forge bonds and live together for 14 days as they go all out to find the one," the show's description reads on its website.Since its release in December, the show has proven an unexpected global hit, with Netflix saying its Season 1 maintained a weeks-long top-10 presence in South Korea, Taiwan and Hong Kong. The show's Season 2 is currently the top-ranked program in Japan, Netflix said.
This picture taken on April 17, 2026, shows "Badly in Love" Season 1 participant Shunya Tsukahara posing at an event in Tokyo.
