Japan Times
19 June 2018
by Tomohiro Osaki
Monday’s deadly quake in Osaka Prefecture has led to
the resurgence of what has become a familiar — if disconcerting — post-disaster
trend on the internet: a slew of hate speech-driven tweets warning of “crimes”
committed by foreign residents.
In the aftermath of the magnitude 6.1 earthquake,
which left at least three dead and hundreds injured, scores of tweets were seen
labeling ethnic non-Japanese — particularly ethnic Koreans and Chinese — as
criminals who may take advantage of post-quake confusion to rob banks and
convenience stores, and commit other dangerous crimes.
Authorities warned against the propagation of
groundless rumors on the internet, and urged people not to spread hate speech
and false information.
“When a quake happens in the Kansai region, there is a
strong possibility of Chinese and Koreans engaging in wrongdoing. It’s possible
they will go after ATMs in banks and convenience stores,” one Twitter user
wrote.
“Who are those Koreans poisoning water in the wells
every time a quake happens?” wrote another. […]