The threat of baseless rumors circulating online about crimes committed by foreign residents during disasters is quite real, a government expert panel said, reflecting concerns long held by foreign communities here.

In its forecast of what would happen if a major earthquake struck under Tokyo, the panel last month expressed a sense of urgency about preventing misinformation from spreading on social media.

Some panel members cited the aftermath of the 1923 Great Kanto Earthquake, when groundless rumors, such as claims that Koreans were committing robberies and arson, led to the killings of Koreans across the country.

“We feel anxious about what will happen if a disaster occurs in the current atmosphere,” said Lee Yoomi, 46, chairperson of nonprofit organization Multilingual Center Facil based in Kobe.

During the campaign period for the Upper House election in July last year, false rumors spread that foreigners were illegally receiving livelihood assistance benefits.

The NPO said it is increasingly hearing voices of concern from local foreign residents about online posts saying “bad foreigners should get out of Japan.”

Multilingual Center Facil was founded after the 1995 Great Hanshin Earthquake, when Lee, a third-generation Korean, was in her third year of junior high school in a hard-hit area of Amagasaki, Hyogo Prefecture.

Her father told her to be careful to avoid being falsely accused of improper behavior.

At the same time, she heard from acquaintances about ethnic Koreans digging through rubble to help with rescue efforts.

IMPORTANT DAILY COMMUNICATION

Similar problems occurred after the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake.

Kwak Kihwan, a professor at Tohoku Gakuin University who has expertise in sociology, in 2016 conducted research on the situation concerning foreign nationals following the earthquake and tsunami.

Of the 770 Sendai residents who responded to Kwak’s survey, about half said they had heard rumors that foreign residents were committing crimes in disaster areas. More than 80 percent of them said they believed the rumors.

Following the Noto Peninsula Earthquake that struck on New Year’s Day in 2024, misinformation spread about “gatherings of foreign robbers.”

“In normal times, moral norms prevent people from suspecting someone without evidence. However, during disasters, that brake seems to fail when it comes to foreigners,” Kwak said.

The rise in xenophobic posts on social media comes as Japan has allowed more foreign nationals to stay in the country to fill labor shortages. These workers from abroad are seen as crucial to maintain social welfare services and economic growth amid the graying and shrinking of Japan’s population.

If the long-expected huge earthquake does strike Tokyo, people will see many foreigners working at convenience stores, which will serve as support points for those unable to return home from work, and at nursing facilities used as evacuation centers for people with special needs.

Taro Tamura, representative of the Institute for Human Diversity Japan who also serves as an adviser to the government’s Reconstruction Agency, recommends using disaster mitigation drills and town meetings as opportunities for communication among local residents regardless of nationality.

“Many foreigners are not just recipients of support, but they are among those providing it,” Tamura said. “It is important to share and resolve each other’s concerns in normal times.”

Kensuke Kajiwara, associate professor at Kyushu University who has expertise in the Constitution, said Japan faces an uphill battle in preventing the spread of misinformation about foreign residents.

“In consideration of freedom of speech, it may be difficult to require the deletion of such posts solely because they are false and stem from hatred,” he said.

Although he said posts that lead to violence or slander against foreigners can be punished under existing laws, he added, “It takes time, and the speed of information spreading on social media is overwhelming.”

Kajiwara said it would be effective for central and local governments to quickly point out that such posts on social media are false.

(This article was compiled from reports by Akari Sugiyama, Shiori Tabuchi and Shoko Rikimaru.)