Japanese officials are refuting a wave of false claims spreading on social media that allege the government provides special grants to companies for hiring foreign workers or serving foreign clients.
The misinformation is spreading ahead of the Lower House election on Feb. 8, where policies regarding foreigners in Japan have become a contentious campaign issue.
One widely circulated claim suggests "you get subsidies for hiring foreigners," a talking point that has even been used in candidates' street speeches.
This misrepresents a labor ministry grant to help foreign workers integrate by subsidizing costs incurred by businesses, such as translating company regulations and internal manuals.
The subsidy is capped at 800,000 yen ($5,100) per business, regardless of the number of foreign workers employed.
A labor ministry official denied the false interpretation, stating, "It is never provided solely for hiring a foreigner."
Similarly, posts on X (formerly Twitter) allege that the government subsidizes companies for renting cars to foreigners.
The transport ministry offers partial subsidies to rental agencies, but for costs associated with multilingualizing their websites or installing translation devices.
"There is no program that provides a subsidy just for renting out a car," a ministry official said.
Content suggesting that foreigners receive preferential treatment tends to provoke public anger and gain traction on social media, a trend that intensifies during election...
Japanese officials are refuting a wave of false claims spreading on social media that allege the government provides special grants to companies for hiring foreign workers or serving foreign clien...