Japan’s new Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said on Friday that the country needs foreign workers to address labour shortages due to a declining population but some “rule breaches” had made the public feel “uneasy”.
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“Some illegal activities and breaches of rules by certain foreigners have created situations where members of the public feel uneasy and perceive unfairness,” Takaichi said in her first policy speech.
“While we draw a clear line from xenophobia, the government will respond resolutely to such acts.”
Takaichi’s remarks came as false claims that she has created a ministry for “mass deportations” were widely spread online.
The misleading statements circulating on social media – largely in English – say Takaichi, Japan’s first female prime minister who was sworn in this week, asked Kimi Onoda to lead the ministry.
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Onoda was on Tuesday tapped for a number of roles, chiefly economic security minister and minister in charge of a “society of well-ordered and harmonious coexistence with foreign nationals”.