Xenophobic Twitter Post Against Muslim Family In Japan Riles Malaysians, Indonesians
The post uploaded on X included a photo of the family, which appears to have been taken without consent.
- A Japanese X user posted a photo of a Muslim family without consent, with a xenophobic caption questioning their right to be in Japan.
- Malaysians and Indonesians slammed the post, criticising the hypocrisy of the poster and defending the family's right to leisure time.
- Xenophobia is rising in Japan, with Human Rights Watch urging new anti-discrimination legislation amid a growing foreign population.
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An X (formerly Twitter) user who goes by @koto_nooto00 posted on the platform a photo of a foreign family on a day out in Japan, with a caption in Japanese that sounds judgemental and xenophobic.
The photo, which shows a husband and wife along with their two children, was seemingly taken without their consent.
The caption wrote:
At a certain bus stop.
Out with the whole family in the middle of a weekday?
Don’t you have a job?
And there are two kids, too.
Are they here as dependents? Did you give birth in Japan just to claim the childbirth allowance?
And this isn’t even the city — it’s the countryside.
How depressing.
Other Japanese X users also left xenophobic and discriminatory comments.
“People who don’t fit in Japan. What are you even here for?” one individual commented.
“What on earth did you come here for, huh?” another X user said, adding a sick emoji at the end.
Most of the other comments made on the post, presumably made by Japanese citizens gave off anti-immigration sentiments, with many expressing disdain towards foreigners in their country.
However, there are those who came to defend the family in the photo, saying that they might be out on a weekday after a work shift, parental leave, or some other approved day off from work. They also highlighted that taking photos of strangers and posting them on social media is a violation of privacy.
とあるバス停
— 花音-kanon-🌸🍓 (@koto_nooto00) June 22, 2026
平日の昼間から家族でお出かけ？
仕事してないの？
しかも子供二人もおる
家族帯同？
日本で出産一時金もらって産んだの？
しかも、ここ田舎よ
この絶望感 pic.twitter.com/GBiRdKNMhQ
Malaysians and Indonesians slam the post’s owner
The post seems to have drawn ire from Malaysians and Indonesians, seeing that the family in the photo appear to be Muslim.
In the quotes section, many X users criticised the post and the individual who posted it mercilessly.
“The Japanese mind cannot comprehend the idea of free time,” said one account.
“The concept of a father having leisure time with his family is bizarre to the Japanese it seems,” another X user said.
Some also questioned what the person who took the photo and posted it on social media was doing out on a weekday, implying hypocrisy.
the japanese mind cannot comprehend the idea of free time https://t.co/R509D6Arvy
— Spicy Dumpling 🇮🇩 🇰🇵 🇷🇺🤖⚙️⚒️🪠 (@SpicyDumpling02) June 23, 2026
Rising xenophobia in Japan
In the past year, there have been reports about rising xenophobia and discrimination in Japan.
Human Rights Watch, a non-profit watchdog group based in New York urged Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi to promote new legislation prohibiting discrimination based on race ethnicity, or religion in its World Report 2026.
Meanwhile, an article published by Japanese news daily The Asahi Shimbun in October 2025 reported that anti-foreigner sentiments and politicians were on the rise as Japan faces a rapidly growing foreign population. The issue comes as Japan, a traditionally insular nation that values conformity and uniformity, sees a record surge of foreigners needed to bolster its shrinking and aging workforce.
Xenophobia has been a prominent issue in the Land of the Rising Sun since the immigration of Zainichi Koreans (Koreans who immigrated to Japan during World War II).
Far-right ultra-nationalist groups like the Zainichi Tokken o Yurusanai Shimin no Kai or Zaitokukai aggressively calls for an end to state welfare and alleged privileges afforded to Zainichi Koreans.
Far-right ultra-nationalist groups like the Zainichi Tokken o Yurusanai Shimin no Kai, or Zaitokukai, aggressively call for an end to state welfare and alleged privileges afforded to Zainichi Koreans.
On a side note, Japan’s tourism industry is one of the biggest contributors to its gross domestic product (GDP). In 2023, spending from tourists accounted for about nine percent of the country’s GDP.
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