YouTube Star Logan Paul Posts Footage of Dead Body in Japan’s ‘Suicide Forest’

Popular YouTuber Logan Paul has come under fire for a recent video filmed in Aokigahara, the Japanese “suicide forest,” which included footage of a suicide victim.

YouTube video blogger Logan Paul has faced harsh criticism for a recent video filmed in Aokigahara, Japan’s “suicide forest,” where many individuals take their own life. The video Paul uploaded to YouTube features the young star clad in a brightly decorated denim jacket and green alien hat traveling through the forest with a group of his friends. Much of the video consists of Paul animatedly talking to the camera and making jokes, which in itself was considered disrespectful by many given the area that Paul was visiting. A few minutes into the video, Paul and his companions come across the body of a man hanging from a tree, then proceed to film the man and make multiple jokes. The video has since been deleted from Paul’s profile.

Paul took to Twitter to apologize, stating that he had never faced this much criticism for a video before. He then defended his poor judgment saying that he “made a 15 minute TV show EVERY SINGLE DAY for the past 460+ days,” and that he had been “caught up in the moment,” when filming the body.

Many Twitter users were quick to call Paul out on his actions and take issue with his apology. Breaking Bad actor Aaron Paul, who is of no relation to Logan Paul, told the YouTube star to “rot in hell,”

While Sophie Turner, the actress best known for portraying Sansa Stark in Game of Thrones took to Twitter to attack Paul’s apology letter and calling him an “idiot,”

The Aokigahara forest in Japan is one of the most popular destinations in the world for individuals to take their own life. People have been found dead by their own hand in the forest since the 1950s. In 2002 there were a record 78 suicides in the forest, which jumped again in 2003 to 105 deaths. Japanese police have mounted signs throughout the forest which read, “Your life is a precious gift from your parents,” and “Please consult the police before you decide to die!” Volunteers clean the forest every year with an average of 70 bodies recovered annually.