A man whose heavily edited news video led to a surge in animosity toward Kurds living in Japan said he was frustrated by vehicles driven by foreigners that were obstructing his work.

But the man, who identified himself as a 60-year-old garbage collector in Tokyo, told The Asahi Shimbun that he was shocked by the huge reaction to the video.

“I never thought that the video I posted would cause such a controversy on X,” he said. “I have mixed feelings because it ended up fueling discrimination.”

The edited clip was originally a TV Asahi news report that aired in December last year and was uploaded on YouTube.

It reported that the Turkish government had designated a Kurdish group in Kawaguchi, Saitama Prefecture, as “supporters of a terrorist organization.”

It also quoted the Turkish Embassy in Tokyo as saying, “Those involved with the terrorist organization are staying in Japan.”

The TV Asahi video explained that “some Kurds have had conflicts with the Turkish government,” and it included statements from the Kurdish group in Kawaguchi that denied any connection to terrorism.

The garbage collector said that when he saw the original news video, he felt that “major media are finally reporting (the issue),” and he edited the footage in just a few minutes using a free app.

His edited video removed the explanation about the conflict between independence-seeking Kurds and the Turkish government and also omitted the Kurdish group’s statements.

“I was shocked by the embassy’s comments and did not remember (those parts),” he said. “I edited the video to highlight what I wanted to share on X.”

The original four-and-a-half-minute news clip was reduced to one minute and 12 seconds that emphasized the “terrorism” aspect of the report.

He tried to explain the rationale behind his actions.

“I often faced delays in garbage collection because vehicles driven by foreigners doing demolition work on houses would block the lanes without permission,” he said.

“Although I never asked about their nationality, many of the vehicles had Kawaguchi license plates,” he continued. “After researching on X and YouTube, I learned about the ‘Kurdish issue’ and developed negative feelings toward Kurds in Japan.”

Kurds, many of whom have applied for refugee status, have formed a large community in Kawaguchi.

Some Japanese groups have held protests demanding the deportation of Kurds, saying they are committing crimes and refusing to assimilate or follow local rules.

The anti-Kurd sentiment has spread online, sometimes through falsified images.

The garbage collector initially posted the edited video on X in December, and it was viewed 130,000 times.

After it was reposted by a different X user around noon on Aug. 25, it received 3.4 million views.

Another repost that night led to more than 9.2 million views of the edited video.

These posts triggered a wave of xenophobic reactions against Kurds living in Japan, such as, “Deport them.”

Both reposters told The Asahi Shimbun that they were not the ones who edited the TV Asahi video.

“It came up in the ‘recommended section’ on X, so I reposted it,” one of them said.

The garbage collector used the call feature on X to contact The Asahi Shimbun on Aug. 31 and said he was responsible for the edited video.

TV Asahi said on Aug. 27: “The video was intentionally edited.” The broadcaster the following day said “it had filed a request to remove the illegal video.”

The edited video has since been disabled with the message, “This video is no longer available due to claims by the copyright holder.”

RISE IN PREJUDICE

Kurds from Turkey began settling in Kawaguchi and other areas in the 1990s.

The city, just north of Tokyo, has long received complaints about noise from demolition work and improper garbage disposal.

Since last year, discriminatory and prejudiced remarks against Kurds living in Kawaguchi have escalated on social media.

In August, Saitama prefectural police referred a man in Tokyo to prosecutors on suspicion of threatening a support group for Kurds living in Japan. He had sent such messages as, “I will kill all Kurds.”

Kawaguchi Mayor Nobuo Okunoki said at a recent news conference that he had filed a report to police after receiving death threats on X related to his handling of the Kurdish community.

“The discrimination against Kurds living in Japan has surged on social media in less than a year,” said journalist Koichi Yasuda, who is well-versed on discrimination issues. “The internet is filled with information that incites discrimination and prejudice against Kurds, influencing many people.”

Kazutoshi Sasahara, a professor at the Tokyo Institute of Technology and author of “The Science of Fake News,” said emotional and hateful posts tend to spread quickly on social media.

He noted that people naturally tend to see and believe only what they want to, and they often ignore information that contradicts their views.

He urged people to pause and think before posting or sharing such content.