As the date of the Japanese House of Councillors election on July 20th draws closer, there are more and more bizarre rumors in Japanese public opinion, including many false claims about "foreigners' super-national treatment" in Japan.

According to a report by the Japanese Asahi Shimbun on July 15, Japanese Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare Fukuhara Tatsuo specifically denied several related rumors during a press conference. The party magazine of the Japanese Communist Party, "Akahata", stated that the "Shinshintō" (note: this is the name of the party) is taking advantage of the wave of xenophobia and far-right sentiments, which could bring real dangers to Japan in the future.

In recent Japanese social media, various statements have been circulating, such as "the number of Chinese people receiving 'minimum living allowance' (life protection money) has doubled in five years," "the self-paid portion of medical expenses for foreigners has a cap," and "foreigners owe 40 billion yen in medical insurance fees annually." Fukuhara Tatsuo denied all these claims, stating that as of July 2023, the number of Chinese citizens receiving Japanese life protection money was 9,471, an increase of about 400 compared to five years ago; the amount of unpaid medical insurance fees reported online is clearly untrue.

Moreover, Fukuhara Tatsuo presented a set of data: approximately 40,000 foreigners have joined the Japanese national health insurance system and paid their premiums, accounting for 4% of the total, but they received only 1.21% of the medical insurance funding. In other words, foreigners are contributing to the Japanese medical insurance system.

Minister Fukuhara Tatsuo at the press conference, Asahi Shimbun

In an article published on July 12, "Akahata" stated that this is the far-right and xenophobic forces in Japan using people's dissatisfaction with difficult lives to spread rumors and gain influence in the process. "Akahata" further mentioned in the article that the typical representative of such parties with "far-right" and "xenophobic" characteristics is the recently rising "Shinshintō" in the Japanese political arena.

The evaluation of "Akahata" is not without basis. According to a report by NHK on July 4, during his speech at the House of Councillors election, Shinshintō leader Kamaya Muneo openly raised the slogan of "Japanese first." However, in his speech, his specific policy proposals focused less on economics and industry and more on "excluding foreign nationals," "protecting traditional culture," and even restoring so-called "Japanese confidence," blaming foreigners for recent issues like high prices and deteriorating security.

Shinshintō leader Kamaya Muneo, Tokyo Shimbun

In public speeches and other occasions, Kamaya Muneo is known for radical views such as "let young women have children," "the emperor should have concubines," "the Japanese army went to Okinawa to protect the people" (note: during World War II, many Okinawan civilians were forced by the Japanese army to commit suicide), and "the medical insurance coverage for end-of-life care should be abolished."

Even when the famous media outlet "Shūkan Bunshun" revealed in early July that Kamaya Muneo had transferred a large amount of party funds to his own name under the guise of "speech fees," it hardly affected his popularity. Some right-wing Japanese netizens even said, "Kamaya spoke their true feelings."

Regarding the numerous extreme statements and rumors spread by Shinshintō, Japanese media such as TBS News and "Mainichi Shimbun" have recently started to "put the brakes" on and debunk them, even directly pointing out that the statements of Shinshintō members are "incorrect." For example, the local media "Sendai Broadcasting" stated that the claim made by Shinshintō about "the water company in Miyagi Prefecture selling to foreign investors" is a deliberate lie and criticized Shinshintō's extreme stance on foreign issues.

The "Mainichi Shimbun" article on debunking the rumors about foreigners, stating "It's not only foreigners who can enjoy the welfare system," directly pointing out that the statements of Shinshintō members are wrong. "Mainichi Shimbun"

However, according to a report by TBS News on July 14, the Shinshintō has already gained a large following and may secure between 8 to 18 seats in this House of Councillors election, possibly exceeding established parties such as Komeito, the Japanese Communist Party, the Japan Innovation Party, and the Constitutional Democratic Party, even becoming the third largest party in the House of Councillors.

Regarding this trend, "Akahata" stated in its article: "The rise of far-right and xenophobic movements has become a global trend. The so-called 'Japan First' advocated by Shinshintō seems to have caught the wave of American President Trump's 'America First' and nationalism... But history has shown that the ultimate result of excluding foreigners will be that Japanese people themselves will also be persecuted and excluded."

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Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7527598039111287322/

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