"JAPAN'S NEW ANTI-ISLAM LAWS SEND SHOCKWAVES," reads a graphic shared in an August 24, 2026 post in an Australian Facebook group supporting far-right politician Pauline Hanson, which has over 10,000 members.
The graphic also claimed that halal food, mosques, the Muslim call to prayer and burqas were all banned, adding that these moves were "basically saying Islam is not welcome here".
"Should we copy Japan? A. Yes," the graphic says.
The same image was posted on August 7 in another Facebook group critical of Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese, which was shared nearly 300 times.
The claim is not new -- a similar version was previously shared by X users in India and by a Philippine Facebook user based in Japan.
It resurfaced in Australia, gaining traction amid a rise in anti-immigration rhetoric -- fuelled in part by a series of marches held since 2025 -- and growing criticism of Albanese and his centre-left Labor Party (archived here and here).
Anti-Muslim sentiment has also become more mainstream in recent months, generating misinformation in Australia.
In Japan, Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi recently pushed for tighter regulations on foreign nationals in response to growing complaints of overtourism and soaring property prices (archived link).
This includes new rules for business manager visas, as well as a government plan to make the requirements for permanent residency stricter (archived link).
There has also been some recent opposition in Kanagawa Prefecture...
[Sportschosun Kim So-hee] Actress Koo Hye-sun looked back on the time when she returned to school later in life and said she learned even more from younger generations than from herself. On the 27...