A humanoid robot named Abe, due to its resemblance to Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, has attracted the attention of Chinese netizens during the 2015 China International Robot Show, which was held in Shanghai from July 8-11.
Abe, dressed in suit, smiled and constantly bowed before visitors.
According to the report, the videos and photos of the robot, which is nicknamed "Apologizing Abe," caught wide attention, but some also criticized its apologetic manner which they said was meaningless.
Japanese netizens, however, took it lightly.
"Good sense of humor, probably the Liberal Democratic Party needs one," read a comment from Yahoo News Japan, which was translated by news portal thepaper.cn.
Another post from Japan read: "Next time please make an Abe robot the size of Gundam (a giant robot from an anime TV series)."
Wang Guofeng, a sales agent of the reported manufacturer, Shanghai Jinghong Robot Co. Ltd., explained to the Global Times: "It's just a way to attract attention from visitors and with absolutely no political implication."
Wang denied that their company manufactured the robot, but a card with the company's name was found on the humanoid. A similar product was featured on the company's website, which costs around 39,000 yuan ($6,282).
"Some Japanese companies are exhibitors, yet we received no complaints or feedback from them on the robot," Wang said. He also denied that the robot was a highlight of the exhibit.
Meanwhile, Kyodo News reported that Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe has expressed plans to extend his "deep remorse" over World War II in August, which marks the 70th anniversary of Japan's surrender.