A Sina Weibo user apologized publicly on Tuesday for posting the personal information of a college freshman who has an unfortunate name that can be literally read as "F*ck Japan."  

The posting listed the student's name, Cao Riben, along with his birthplace, school and student number. The posting Monday by Weibo user named "Jiangxi college student online" attracted torrents of ridicule and derision and may have played a role in Cao leaving the school.

Thousands of netizens said the young man's name aptly expresses many people's anger toward Japan following the recent tension between the two countries over the Diaoyu Islands.

An officer in charge of the college microblog told the Chengdu-based Tianfu Morning Post that the student's "life has been greatly disturbed by the posting," adding that he has returned to his high school for another year to prepare for the college entrance exam.

The college demanded an apology from the Weibo user and help cooling public opinion concerning the student's name, which has triggered anti-Japanese sentiment.

The college was quoted by the newspaper as saying that the school would investigate the matter. "We won't tolerate the Web user repeatedly posting entries with similar content," the college's Weibo operator said, adding that the school would continue to investigate whether Cao quit school under pressure.

The original writer said Tuesday afternoon he did not expect his posting to go viral and does not think it was responsible for the student leaving the school.

"It's said that he had decided to quit before the posting," the Weibo user said.

"The posting has turned his name into a joke. The Weibo user should be held accountable for this," Feng Yujun, a law professor with the Renmin University of China, told the Global Times.

Wang Sixin, a law professor with the Communication University of China, said the posting did not violate Cao's rights.

"A name is given to be used by others, so the Weibo user did nothing wrong," Wang said. "Cao's name got a lot of attention because of the sensitive issues between China and Japan."

The surname Cao can be traced back almost 1,900 years. The Chinese character for the surname can also mean morning exercise.