Is it true that Japan is responsible for manufacturing Korea's passports and creating the IC chips embedded inside them? No, that's not true: Passports are tightly controlled by the country of issue, which manufactures and prints them in either public or private firms headquartered in the country where the passport is issued, and IC technology has been commonly used in…
Did Japanese telecommunication corporation Nippon Telegraph and Telephone East (NTT East) build the largest nuclear fallout shelter in the world and conceal it by claiming it is an underground telecommunication facility? No, that's not true: There is no evidence that the NTT East underground tunnel systems were created to provide a nuclear fallout shelter. The NTT East underground tunnels are…
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…
Did a whistleblower reveal the use of large quantities of diesel generators in wind turbines in a video on social media? No, that's not true: The combination of wind power and diesel power is not a top-secret matter; it is common knowledge. The claim appeared on a video (archived here) on TikTok on December 11, 2023. It began (translated from…
Does the U.S. hold a patent for HAARP (the High-frequency Active Auroral Research Program) and would such a patent prove that artificial earthquakes can be created by HAARP? No, that's not true: HAARP is a research facility managed under the University of Alaska Fairbanks, and is not patented by the United States. Anti-HAARP activists used patents under American phycisist B.…
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…
Did Bill Gates and the Gates Foundation buy farmland in the United States to grow genetically modified tomatoes that are tested on schoolchildren? No, that's not true: Tomatoes are not among a list of one dozen crops or foods approved by the U.S. Department of Agriculture, the Food and Drug Administration and the Environmental Protection Agency to be grown, tested…
Does the Korean government uses the messenger app LINE to spy on Japanese citizens? No, that's not true: LINE is currently owned by a Japanese company, and highly private personal information, such as calls and texts, are kept in a Japanese data center. The claim appeared on TikTok (archived here) on June 21, 2023, by user @/omisochannel. Omisochannel is an…
Are electromagnetic waves "the most important thing to avoid," more than chemicals, pollution and radiation? No, that's not true: Japan has radio wave (electromagnetic waves) protection guidelines that are in line with the international recommendations of the International Commission on Non-Ionizing Radiation Protection and the World Health Organization (WHO). The claim appeared in a TikTok video (archived here) posted on…
Are green food dyes made of "silkworm poop"? No, that's not true: Green food coloring is made mainly from the alfalfa plant. The claim appeared on TikTok (archived here) on June 9, 2023. In the video, a woman in a lab coat explains that the dyes used in food such as matcha desserts and gum might be "silkworm poop." In…
Is it true that there are rubber masks made for human cloning? No, it's not true: Real Face sells rubber masks seen in the video commercially to support facial recognition and research and development. The claim appeared on TikTok (archived here) on June 3, 2023. In the video, a man can be seen shaping a rubber mask by hand while…
Do growers get 10 years in prison if they plant their own seeds next year? No, that's not true: Only if they "self-propagate" the seeds and seedlings from the harvest and use them for the next planting without the developer's permission. The original footage was posted on TikTok (archived here) on November 26, 2022. It opened: 10 years in prison…
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