Asahi Shimbun Investigation Finds Posts That Fueled Anti-Kurdish Sentiment Were Actually Made by a Turkish Man Impersonating a Kurd
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The Asahi Shimbun reported on May 1, 2024 that some of the social media posts that had fueled resentment toward Kurdish residents in Japan were actually made by a Turkish national impersonating a Kurd. In an interview with the newspaper, the man, who identified himself by the name Tayfun, reportedly admitted to making at least 180 such posts.
The posts in question contained inflammatory language such as "Kurds are scary" and "drive them out," and are said to have contributed to spreading anger and fear among Japanese readers, fueling exclusionary rhetoric. Analysis using the social media monitoring tool Brandwatch on X (formerly Twitter) also confirmed that posts mentioning "Kurds" had repeatedly surged since 2023.
Current status: As of this writing, it remains unclear what motivated the man behind the impersonation, or whether other individuals were involved in similar posting activity.
This case is important background for understanding the broader friction surrounding Kurdish residents that has been reported, including nuisance behavior in Kawaguchi neighborhoods (related coverage) and the non-indictment decision in the inspection-obstruction case (related coverage). Reporting by a US university journalism program (related coverage) has also suggested that some anti-Kurdish rhetoric may originate from Turkey, which aligns with the findings here. This case serves as important reference material, from a balanced-reporting perspective, showing that resentment toward Kurds may have been amplified not only by actual reports of nuisance behavior but also by organized disinformation.