Japan: Rising hostility toward Kurdish community

The Kurdish community in Japan, consisting of approximately 3,000 people, is facing a significant rise in hostility and prejudice. Once regarded as a model community for their integration efforts—including language classes, cooking courses, and disaster relief contributions—they have increasingly become targets of misinformation.

According to community members, the shift began after a local politician in Kawaguchi spread falsehoods about the group, which was subsequently amplified by far-right online communities. This has led to threats and a broader national discourse regarding the ‘foreign resident problem’ (gaikokujin mondai), characterized by unfounded claims that foreigners are prone to crime or misuse the social welfare system.

This rising sentiment coincides with the Japanese government increasing barriers to immigration, reflecting a tightening stance on foreign residents despite a lack of statistical evidence supporting claims of increased criminality among these groups.