More and more YouTubers in Japan are using their fame to raise awareness of social distancing and the hashtag #stayhome to help officials drive home the severity of the COVID-19 pandemic to its youth, a demographic seen as prone to complacency.
At the heart of the movement is Hikakin, one of the nation's most popular YouTubers who on Friday released a video in which he tied up with Tokyo Gov. Yuriko Koike to emphasize the importance of social distancing.
The video, which as of Saturday evening had more than 7 million views, showed the internet star with more than 8 million subscribers interviewing Koike by video chat about the capital's current status regarding the pandemic.
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