Sellers of banned uniforms must be brought to book

A group of men in Lianyungang in East China's Jiangsu province dressed to appear like soldiers of the Imperial Japanese Army walked on the street shouting "Even the imperial soldiers were our customers." After a video clip recording their behavior went viral online on Sunday, the local police said they were promoting a local company. China Daily writer Zhang Zhouxiang comments:

The organizer has already been detained for possible criminal charges, with the local police conducting a further investigation. This is not the first time people have committed such foolish deeds. In February, two other young men dressed in uniforms like those of the Imperial Japanese Army and Navy took photos in Zijin Mountain near Nanjing, a city whose people were massacred by Japanese soldiers during World War II. The two men were later detained.

Last August, four other youngsters took photos wearing similar uniforms at a historical site in Shanghai. It seems some people can never learn any lessons and they are willing to commit the same folly even though media outlets have repeatedly stressed it is illegal to wear Imperial Japanese Army uniforms.

It is to be hoped the local police in Lianyungang give the three persons their deserved legal penalty, so as to send a warning that will deter any potential imitator in the future.

More important, the business chain behind the uniforms must be cut. In the previous two cases, reports show the lawbreakers purchased their uniforms from online shops. After their cases were reported, the shops that openly sold the uniforms were either closed or withdrew these products. However, some of them continued selling the products as "cosplay tools" or "film props".

Some film companies might need these uniforms, but it is illegal to wear them in public. Proper laws need to be drafted to regulate these shops, so as to cut the supply to those who would buy them.