A claim circulating on social media alleges that Japan’s new Prime Minister, Sanae Takaichi, has immediately begun mass deportations of foreigners and created a dedicated ministry to carry them out. The posts claim that one of her first statements in office was that the government would “send them all home”, implying a sweeping deportation campaign targeting immigrants.

However, the person featured in the post is not Takaichi, but Kimi Onoda, who was recently appointed as Minister in Charge of a Society of Well-Ordered and Harmonious Coexistence with Foreign Nationals. This role focuses on integration and managing social order, not mass removal of foreign residents.

When contacted by Reuters, the Embassy of Japan in the UK stated clearly that the government was not beginning mass deportations and had not created any new ministry dedicated to them. The official list of cabinet members also shows no such ministry.

What has been communicated publicly is that the government intends to take a firmer stance against foreign nationals who commit crimes or abuse systems, including possible adjustments to enforcement and immigration regulations. These statements do suggest a policy environment where misconduct from non-citizens may face more severe consequences, but this is markedly different from the mass deportation narrative. Japan currently has around 3.95 million foreign residents, and there has been no government communication indicating large-scale deportations.

The false claim spreads easily because it taps into long-standing anxieties about immigration, national identity, and population change. Similar patterns have been seen in other countries. In South Korea, anti-Chinese and anti-foreigner rallies have taken place as a government scheme allowing visa-free entry to tourists from China was rolled out. The United Kingdom has also seen frequent misinformation tied to refugees and asylum seekers.

These narratives often gain traction because they feel plausible to audiences already primed to view immigration as an issue. Once viral, they can influence public sentiment, polarise communities, and distort democratic debate.

In Japan’s case, there is a genuine policy discussion underway about how to balance foreign participation in society with social order. However, the claim that the government has launched mass deportations is unsupported and misleading. As with many similar false narratives globally, the exaggeration risks increasing suspicion and resentment between citizens and foreign residents, even when the underlying policy details are far more measured and bureaucratic.