Is it true that linear motor cars cause cancer? No, that's not true: Studies conducted by experts concluded that passengers aboard a high-speed bullet train will not have their health affected by the electromagnetic exposure from power cables. The claim appeared in a TikTok video (archived here) on November 20, 2023. In the video, a man named Shunsuke Funase claims…

Is it true that nations departing from the 2025 Osaka Expo, such as Mexico and Estonia, are doing so solely due to the compensation they will receive for early withdrawal? No, that's not true: The decision of Mexico and Estonia to withdraw from the event is based on their financial inability to sustain participation in the Expo and fulfill their…

Is the Japanese government siphoning 3.8 million yen per international student from the education budget to support them at the expense of domestic students, who instead have to pay back their student loans? No, that's not true: The total financial aid international students are eligible for in Japan is much lower than the figure shared on social media. The claim…

Is it true that boiling tap water makes it spoil quicker? No, that's not true: When stored properly, tap water -- boiled or at room temperature -- can last months, and the boiling process won't evaporate the water's chlorine content and make it go bad. The claim appeared on TikTok (archived here) on September 5, 2023. The author says in…

Did the Japanese government push for constitutional reform because the U.S. military already decided to withdraw from Japan? No, that's not true: There are no plans at the time of writing from the U.S. and Japan to close U.S. military bases around Japan, and there is no evidence that Article 9, or the "no war" clause, of the current Japanese…

Is it true that a series of photos show that a crisis actor is being used to stage a rescue scene in Gaza? No, that's not true: The photos of a little girl being rescued from a bombed building are from a 2016 attack in the Syrian city of Aleppo. They show the same little girl passing through the arms…

Is it true that shrimp are being vaccinated - or are soon to be vaccinated - with mRNA vaccines? No, that's not true: Vaccines administered to shrimp are of a different kind, such as those used to prevent epidemics of white spot disease (WSD) among crustaceans and fish. The claim is made without evidence to support the statement that mRNA…

Did the United States ban imports of Fukushima agricultural and fishery products for 10 years? No, that's not true: On March 22, 2011, the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) issued an import alert, not a prohibition order, instructing FDA field personnel to detain food shipments from Japan if the food was likely to contain radionuclide contamination. The FDA deactivated…

Did cancer appear in Japan only after World War II? No, that's not true: People also got cancer before that war. The oldest description of the illness in medical history dates back to as early as 1600 BC. The claim appeared in a video (archived here) on TikTok on September 17, 2023. The person in the video claimed (translated from…

Is it possible to power a light bulb or charge a phone simply by touching it to a tree? No, that's not true: Electrical energy required to power a lightbulb or charge a phone cannot be generated from a living tree, since wood is "super static" and does not conduct electricity. The claim appeared in a video on TikTok (archived…