Japan’s Prime Minister Shinzo Abe was criticized vehemently by Twitterati after he shared a video of himself lounging on a sofa cuddling his dog, drinking tea and reading. In the caption, he urged people to stay at home.

Moments after his post, “who do you think you are?” became a top trend on Twitter, with users saying Abe’s message was downright outrageous for those struggling to make their ends meet.

Abe made the video with his pet dog in response to famous musician Gen Hoshino, who uploaded a video of himself singing and dancing and asked people to do the same, according to Reuters report.

“At a time when people are fighting for survival, to show a video of such luxury ... one can’t help but wonder, ‘who do you think you are?” a Twitter user commented.

Meanwhile, the number of novel coronavirus cases in Japan has surpassed 7,000, with over 120 deaths reported so far. It was the first weekend since Japan declared a state of emergency in major population centres to fight the spread of the coronavirus, as per the Reuters report.

Shinzo Abe had earlier said that Japan won't, and doesn't need to take lockdown steps like those overseas. "Trains will be running and supermarkets will be open. The state of emergency will allow us to strengthen current steps to prevent an increase in infections while ensuring that economic activity is sustained as much as possible," he had said.

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