TOKYO: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has stirred controversy with a video posted Sunday on Twitter calling on the public to stay home amid the coronavirus outbreak.

The split-screen video shows in one half Abe cuddling his dog and reading a book in a relaxed mood apparently in his home, with popular Japanese singer-songwriter Gen Hoshino performing a song to promote social distancing in the other half.

The song "Uchide Odoro," which means "Let's dance at home," has gone viral amid widespread efforts among the public to stay home and curb the spread of the coronavirus. After Hoshino called for other artists to join him, actors Yo Oizumi and Mitsuki Takahata and many others have made similar videos.

Abe's tweet included the comment, "You can't meet friends or have drinking parties. But actions like yours are definitely helping to save many lives."

https://twitter.com/AbeShinzo/status/1249127951154712576?s=20

Some Twitter users praised the tweet as a good message encouraging the public to stay home, while others took issue with Abe's apparently carefree attitude.

Yoshiko Kira, a House of Councillors lawmaker of the Japanese Communist Party, tweeted, "I can see very well that the prime minister does not at all understand the hardships ordinary people are facing."

Abe is "elegantly hugging his dog and drinking tea on a luxurious sofa while many citizens are worrying about tomorrow," another Twitter user said.

At a news conference Monday, Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshihide Suga said Abe released the video because he sympathizes with Hoshino.

"I hope the message will reach many citizens," Suga added.

JIJI Press