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Fake news about foreign crime stokes xenophobia in Japan, researchers warn
A Constella Security Japan webinar highlighted viral clips claiming migrants stole metal and cut railway cables, which had drawn about 4.3 million views by mid-September.
Japan faces a growing risk of a feedback loop driven by online disinformation about foreign crime, which researchers say is stoking xenophobia and benefiting the far right, according to SCMP Economy.
SCMP Economy reports that the trend is deepening divisions within Japanese society and could be hard to reverse.
Constella Security Japan, a Tokyo-based cybersecurity firm commissioned by the government to counter online disinformation, held a webinar for officials and media in August focused on fake news targeting foreign residents.
The cases included viral social media clips, such as “metal theft by foreigners” and “stealing metal from railway tracks,” alleging migrants cut railway cables, which had accumulated roughly 4.3 million views across platforms by mid-September, Kyodo News reported.