Did the former Prime Minister, Yoshihide Suga, say that Japan's population is effectively being reduced? No, that's not true: He misspoke; what he intended to say was that the number of COVID-19 infections were decreasing.
The claim appeared on a TikTok video (archived here) on April 25, 2023, under the title "Our dear Suga, had a slip of the tongue and said the government is successfully reducing the population. The video shows Yoshihide Suga when he was prime minister (September 16, 2020-October 4, 2021). Here is what he said in the video. Translated from Japanese into English by Lead Stories staff:
As you all already know...population is... population is declining... we are starting to see the result.
This is what the post looked like on TikTok at the time of writing:
(Source: TikTok screenshot taken on Mon Jul 10 12:04:58 2023 UTC)
The video clip gained widespread attention, garnering millions of views both on television and social media platforms. While many people understood that Yoshihide Suga simply misspoke due to exhaustion and used the wrong word, others seized the opportunity to claim that the government's alleged agenda to reduce the population was not a mere conspiracy theory but an actual plan, using the video as evidence. The original footage originated from a press conference held on May 5, 2021, addressing the consideration of extending the emergency declaration; also available on the official website of the Prime Minister's Office of Japan. During the conference, Suga was questioned about the number of individuals infected with the coronavirus. Here is what he meant to say, translated from Japanese into English by Lead Stories staff:
I think everyone is aware of today's numbers (number of people infected by the virus.) The number of people who are infected by the virus is declining. It (emergency declaration) is showing its effectiveness.
