Immigration The Kurdish issue in Saitama

Hate speech against Kurdish residents in Kawaguchi and Warabi in Saitama once more surfaced earlier this year: the distressing pattern includes aggressive phone calls urging individuals to leave Japan and a barrage of discriminatory messages on social media.

The outbursts were triggered by events in Kawaguchi in 2023 that heightened tensions between groups of immigrants and residents. Notably, the Kurdish community emerged as a central concern during this period. On 4 July 2023, an incident involving Kurdish immigrants reportedly occurred near the Kawaguchi Municipal Medical Center. The specifics of this incident raised alarm among residents, and a reader-submitted photo highlighted the friction between immigrant groups and locals.

Residents expressed their concerns through a surge of complaints. Approximately 40% of these complaints originated from Saitama Prefecture residents, with 70% residing in Kawaguchi. These complaints centred around alleged acts committed by groups of Kurdish immigrants, including issues like litter-strewn streets, mistreatment of parks, and other disruptive behaviours. Some residents even questioned the effectiveness of law enforcement, with one lamenting that police patrols in the area were insufficient. Other residents expressed anxiety about safety due to the sudden influx of Kurdish residents, pointing out that Kurds appeared unafraid of the police, often moving in groups and disregarding the law.

Unseen Japan had a feature on the outbreak of violence in Saitama last year.

Since then, Kurdish residents have been showered with abuse.

The hate campaign echoes a spate of incidents over the years against ethnic Koreans living all over Japan, including Kawasaki, a city in Kanagawa Prefecture to the south of Tokyo. Kawaguchi has a population of about 600,000 and around 3,000 Kurdish people live there and in the neighboring city of Warabi.

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A Kurdish restaurant owner in Kawaguchi revealed that he has endured a barrage of hateful phone calls over the past six months. These calls, echoing a familiar refrain, urge not only him but also other ethnic minorities to leave Japan. On 14 April, a small group of approximately ten people gathered near his restaurant, brandishing signs vowing to eradicate the community of "Kurdish crimes" and "fake refugees." The 32-year-old operator, who arrived in Japan two decades ago due to his father's presence, legally resides in the country with his family of five. Previously on amicable terms with his neighbours, he contemplates leaving Japan due to the vitriolic messages aimed at his establishment.

Discriminatory remarks targeting ethnic groups are repeatedly made based on individual "crimes" or "terrorism." Takahiro Akedo, an associate professor at Osaka Metropolitan University who is familiar with the issue of hate speech, points out, "In Western countries, anti-foreign sentiment easily escalates from a sense of crisis over labor and employment, with people claiming, 'Our jobs are being taken by immigrants,' but in Japan, there is a tendency to call for the exclusion of immigrants and refugees as a security issue based on the self-consciousness that 'Japan is a safe country.'" He added, "Recently we've seen incitement and heightened hate, mainly online, coming from visible incidents involving Kurds and the fact that they have been labeled 'terrorists' and other things."

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Kyodo reported on a Newroz ("New Day") festival held by the Kurdish community in Saitama and the efforts of the local Japanese community to fight hate speech, racist agitation and the claim that local Kurdish associations were affiliated with terrorists.

Foreign visitors and immigrants remain a hot topic post-election. Japan's Minister of Justice, Suzuki, expressed "grave concern" over illegal Turkish residents in Japan and called on the Turkish ambassador to help resolve the matter. "Turkish," of course, refers to the Kurdish community in Saitama. While acknowledging historically friendly relations between Japan and Turkey, Suzuki requested help in addressing the issue, saying, "We are taking strict measures against illegal residency in response to growing public anxiety."

It is highly unusual for a justice minister to directly raise immigration and residency management issues with the ambassador of a specific country and make the exchange public. The Turkish Embassy requested the meeting as part of a courtesy call by Ertugrul, who took office at the end of last year, according to the ministry. It was initially scheduled for March. Only the beginning of the meeting was open to the media. There were approximately 7,700 legal Turkish residents in Japan as of the end of December, according to the Ministry of Justice. In addition, 1,372 Turkish nationals were illegally staying in the country as of Jan. 1, making Turkey the country with the 10th largest number of overstayers. With a ratio of roughly one overstayer against five legal residents, Turkey tops the list of the 10 countries and regions with the largest numbers of overstayers, ministry officials said. Thailand, which had the second-largest number of overstayers, had a similar ratio, with 11,337 overstayers against approximately 65,400 legal residents.

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On Monday, Saitama Governor Ono Motohiro called for a temporary halt to the mutual visa exemption arrangement between Japan and Turkey, citing growing concern among residents over criminal activity involving Turkish nationals. He appealed during a meeting with Diet members representing Saitama Prefecture, held to relay the prefecture's key policy demands to the national government. The current agreement permits citizens of both countries to travel for short stays without needing a visa, primarily for tourism and related purposes.

In Saitama Prefecture, Kurds with a Turkish nationality, many of whom are seeking refugee status, have formed large communities in and around the cities of Kawaguchi and Warabi. According to the prefectural government, 31.1 percent of Turkish nationals residing in Japan live in Saitama Prefecture. In 2024, Turkish citizens made up the largest group, by nationality, of repeat applicants for refugee status, individuals denied refugee status and those provisionally released from detention at an immigration facility.

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The Guardian about the mounting difficulties Kurdish migrants face in Saitama:

About 3,000 of Kawaguchi and Warabi's combined 670,000 population are Kurds – a proportion large enough for online commenters to refer to it by the derogatory name "Warabistan". Many of the men perform casual work in construction and demolition, while a smaller number work in the food service sector. Abuse of the local Kurdish community has risen noticeably in recent months, said Tatsuhiro Nukui, who runs Zainichi Kurudojin to Tomoni – "together with Kurds in Japan" – an NGO that organises weekly Japanese-language classes taught by volunteers, medical consultations and cultural exchanges. The catalyst was an incident in 2023, when a private row between two Kurdish men resulted in at least one stabbing and a brawl outside a local hospital.

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Graffiti carrying hostile messages has appeared on Kurdish-owned businesses, while on social media, some users secretly photograph foreign residents and post the images online, falsely accusing them of theft. "YouTubers come here with one purpose – to stir people up," said Nukui. "Today it is the Kurds, but tomorrow it could be another community."

Anti-discrimination campaigners have achieved a few notable successes, albeit small. In November of last year, a regional court in Kawaguchi issued a permanent ban on demonstrations by hate groups, including the distribution of leaflets deemed defamatory or insulting. Ali is still waiting to hear the outcome of his third asylum application, explaining that he and his family no longer feel safe in Turkey. Yet Japan has so far recognised only one Kurdish refugee, and last year accepted just 190 people as refugees, most of them from Afghanistan. The fact that his youngest child was born in Japan may strengthen his case, though he admits the uncertainty weighs heavily on him.

Right-wing agent provocateur Kawai Yusuke was attacked in Kawaguchi during the Kurdish Newroz festival.


The comments in the X thread above are very telling. A welcome drama for Kawai.


I agree with UnseenJapan: you reap what you sow.

Sounds like he accomplished his mission.