Recent tweets blaming foreigners for coronavirus spikes in Japan have immigrants up in arms. And understandably so – who wants to be blamed for the spread of a pandemic? But was it really an attack on foreigners? Or was it the spread of another deadly disease: “fake news”?
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ToggleBlaming Foreigners for Coronavirus
A recent Fuji TV news headline suggested that foreigners were not following proper protocol “due to language and cultural differences”. Foreign residents immediately took to Twitter to criticize Japan for blaming foreigners for coronavirus spikes. A plausible accusation, given Japan’s history with anti-foreign sentiments. However, just like the boy who cried wolf, it was an instance in which Japan attempted to support foreign communities that people quickly misunderstood as another attack on foreigners.
A Conference Calls for Support
A November 11, 2020 conference listed four clusters of high-risk groups (that are infected or prone to contracting an infection). The four clusters were dining establishments, workplaces, foreign communities, and education institutions.
(The original discussion on the foreign communities cluster takes place around minutes 35:00-39:00 in the video below. The topic is briefly revisited during Q&A around minutes 51:00-52:00, and 57:00-1:00:00).
“3回目の流行”に「強い危機感」 コロナ分科会後に尾身会長と西村担当相が会見(2020年11月12日)
政府は12日、有識者らによる新型コロナウイルス対策分科会(会長・尾身茂地域医療機能推進機構理事長)を開いた。午後3時半をめどに尾身会長と西村康稔経済再生相が記者会見を開いて議論の内容を説明する。 ※中継内容等は予告なく変更になる場合がございます。予めご了承ください。 ■チャンネル登録:https://yahoo.jp/zaoidV ■THE …
However, that wasn’t to suggest that foreigners are “contaminated”. This helpful Twitter thread by user AnomaV really goes deep into the entire situation (thank you!):
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The speakers at the conference discuss the difficulties foreign communities face in obtaining information and healthcare in their own language, and how to provide support for these communities. They list the language barrier as one contributor and suggest establishing multilingual centers with information on covid testing and healthcare in multiple languages. At no point do they criticize foreign cultures or blame them for the spread.
Language vs. Culture
A common Western trope is that many immigrants don’t bother to learn Japanese. Some immigrants from other countries don’t speak Japanese OR English. The language barrier can certainly make things difficult. However, differences in language are not the same as differences in culture.
While language challenges have simple solutions (providing translations, etc), to suggest that culture – an internal, unchangeable part of a nation or a group of people – is the issue comes off as discriminatory. The media’s faux pas twisted the message and failed to convey the Japanese government’s message attempting to provide support.
One conference speaker states: “It’s not that foreigners are bad. This virus can infect anybody. There should never be discrimination. However, information isn’t coming across well due to the language barrier. Something must be done”. (Quote paraphrased from above thread). The government is now taking initiative to provide information not only in Japanese and English, but other languages, including “easy Japanese” posters.
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The Other Pandemic

Because Japan does have a history of discrimination against foreigners, it it understandable why the insensitive headline upset many people. Since the start of the pandemic, prejudice has been on the rise, and so has blaming foreigners for coronavirus (not only in Japan but other countries as well). However, though this particular incident wasn’t a direct attack on foreigners, it only exemplifies the lack of awareness surrounding the issue.
While many of us may be willing to fact-check to discern meaning and intent, there are still many racists/anti-foreigners who will only use false headlines such as these to justify their hate. The media must be careful to avoid clickbait-y titles that promote harmful stereotypes and contribute to discrimination in general.
Solving Problems
Ultimately, the solutions lie in the hands of the government. There are safe ways to reopen a country after a pandemic and there are not-so-safe ways. Unfortunately, the Japanese government may have been a little too eager to get back to business as usual. Japan confirmed the highest number of coronavirus infections on November 13, which Toshio Nakagawa, chairman of the Japan Medical Association, called the third wave.
Many blame the recent “Go To” Campaigns, launched as an effort to stimulate the economy. As of now, the government seems unlikely to stop the campaigns. However, with the recent spike, many are calling for it’s end until a vaccine becomes available.
Within the foreign community, the government should expand their focus to include improving dorms and workplace conditions, and not stop at language. Ensure that necessary hygiene supplies are readily available, and enforce masks and social distancing in ALL areas. Finally, the media must work on removing bias and harmful stereotypes from publications. Proactively cooperate with fact-checking, provide full context in articles, and avoid using exaggerations and edgy clickbait titles.
Conclusion
Yes, foreigners do face discrimination in Japan. And yes, information often is taken out of context. But in the end, it is up to all of us to do our due diligence. For consumers of media, that is to fact-check before jumping to conclusions. And for the producers of that media, is to refrain from irresponsible wording, prioritize accuracy over views, and avoid contributing to discrimination by taking a factual, unbiased approach to reporting.