Xu Haoyu, a Chinese resident in Japan, announced his candidacy for the mayor of Atami in 2026. However, his poor command of the Japanese language has drawn a wave of laughter on the internet. In a recent interview on a program, he struggled to provide coherent answers, often leading to humorous responses from the host.

During the show, Xu expressed his love for Japanese culture, mentioning classic literary works like 'I Am a Cat' and 'The Tale of Genji', but his attempts to explain his preferences over animation led to confusion instead.

Claiming that he could realize his value in Japan, Xu revealed that his interest in politics began only after moving to Atami four years ago. When questioned about his motives for running for mayor, he gave nonsensical replies about his activities outside of politics.

When asked about sensitive issues such as the Chinese Communist Party and the territorial disputes between China and Japan, Xu seemed bewildered. His floundering responses led the host to remark, 'Your comments are somewhat sympathetic.'

The program also featured a humorous exchange where Xu explained a photo of himself holding four passports, saying he had posted it while drunk, but the host countered, 'Wait, didn’t you drink yesterday?' which prompted laughter from the audience.