Does the Japanese Children and Families Agency receive an exaggerated budget to pay 6.34 million yen (42,534 USD) per baby? No, that's not true: The allocation of budget funds is clearly defined in the 2024 draft budget of the Children and Families Agency. According to the definition of the Children and Families Agency, the category of children includes every person…

Did the United Nations (UN) recognize Japan as a poor country? No, that's not true: The UN's Prevalence of Undernourishment (PoU) survey, which provides data used to produce the Food and Agriculture Organization (FAO) Hunger Map, does not show that Japan is undernourished. A social media post, which featured this map, falsely translates "hunger map" to mean "poor country." The…

Was Japanese actor Hiroshi Tachi involved in idol/singer Yukiko Okada's suicide? No, that's not true: The alleged relationship between Tachi and Okada, along with various aspects surrounding her suicide, were fabricated by Japanese tabloids during the late 1980s. Testimony from her former manager, Tokio Fukuda, alongside a salvaged diary entry that outlines her suicide note, confirmed that one of the…

Is it true that neonicotinoid pesticides cause autism in children? No, that's not true: While one study shows that pesticide exposure may be associated with adverse neurodevelopmental effects in children, this is not true for neonicotinoids. While neonicotinoids can be neurologically toxic and can cause respiratory failure in humans, there is no evidence that neonicotinoids can cause autism in humans…

Is it true that the number of breast cancer patients is rapidly rising in Japan because the radiation in mammograms causes cancer? No, that's not true: Though there are risk factors involved with radiation injuries and radiation-induced breast cancer post-screening, the amount of radiation absorbed by the body in annual mammogram screenings poses minimal risk of developing into breast cancer.…

Is it true that Korea was not considered a colony by Imperial Japan because Koreans were granted Japanese citizenship? No, that's not true: Although Koreans were issued Japanese citizenship following Japan's annexation of Korea in 1910, Japanese Imperial rule of Korea starting with the forceful removal of a Korean emperor, a military-supported occupation of the country, a practice of land…

Do people accessing any NHK (Japan Broadcasting Corporation) content through their smartphones have to pay NHK's reception fees? No, that's not true: Simply owning a smartphone and having access to NHK's online content does not mean you have to pay for NHK's reception fees. The fees are only required if you have a television or a device directly connected to…

Is it true that Osaka's governor sold permanent residency in Japan to foreign investors in advance of the 2025 Osaka Expo? No, that's not true: Although some foreign investors wishing to invest in Osaka's economy in advance of the Expo may gain permanent residency status by meeting requirements on the amount and the period of their investments in Japan, this…

Do the different colors of the Japanese health insurance card depend on one's income level? No, that's not true: The purpose of having different colors for the health insurance card is not to classify people based on income, but rather to show the type of health insurance that people have. The claim first appeared on TikTok (archived here) by @user1840881173401…

Did a Japanese organization send North Korean mercenaries to Vietnam during the Vietnam War? No, that's not true: Japanese citizens could not participate in the Vietnam War because of the country's constitutional "No War Clause" adopted after WWII, and diplomatically, Japan was allied with South Vietnam and the United States during the conflict. The claim appeared in a TikTok post…