Kirk here. The Kumamoto Keizai article I cited in the first post in this series (what might be called "Hate at the International Center") says that the group held its first event at the Center in February. To see my original post click/tap on the following link:
In this post, I'd like to report on an announcement of that first event that was published on X by Mr. Saeki, the person mentioned in the Kumamoto Keizai article. His announcement can be found here and it features the posters / graphics I've attached to this post.
https://x.com/trdTqT5df153351/status/2025246342868787541
Here's a summary of the content of the image on the right that Claude (my go-to AI service) helped me prepare:
--- start summary of graphic ---
This is an anti-immigration manga-style illustration focused on Kumamoto, Japan. The top panel presents a sinister looking figure in a suit and tie that is labeled "multicultural co-existence" (多文化共生) and surrounded by pro-immigration buzzwords — multicultural co-existence (多文化共生), technical intern trainees (技能実習生), domestic support foreign worker acceptance (家事支援外国人受け入れ), and one-stop business startup procedures (起業手続きワンストップ). The figure calls for more foreign workers to address labor shortages (人手不足). The middle panels then present these policies as threats, with shocked reaction shots accompanying three "alarming" scenarios: Southeast Asian foreigners (東南アジア系外国人) stealing bonsai plants and copper wire; Muslims praying near Kumamoto Castle with the caption suggesting there were too many to hold the event in the Islamic Center (イスラミックセンター); and the Aso Mega Solar (阿蘇メガソーラー) project, portrayed as harming local livestock farmers while raising electricity costs (foreign connection not explained but there's a conspiracy theory behind its inclusion here). The bottom section shows a young woman voicing concern that "too much consideration is being given to foreigners (外国人に配慮しすぎ)" while taxes go to foreigners rather than Japanese people, and a figure in a military-style cap warning that Japan will end up like "immigrant-overrun European countries" if nothing is done. The illustration ends with a call to action (声を上げよう) urging readers to contact Kumamoto Prefecture and local government websites, with sample messages like "Please stop easily accepting foreigners (安易な外国人受け入れをしないでください)" and "Can public safety be guaranteed if the number of foreigners increases further?" The X (Twitter) account @kumamono385 is promoted at the bottom.
--- end summary of graphic
In regard to this event, it didn't get any support or publicity from Mr. Miyazaki or Kumamoto Keizai. But this history should have been known to Mr. Miyazaki, the reporter. Since he helped publicize the second event (see https://www.facebook.com/Kumamotoi/posts/pfbid0oLDoQ73yy8GFnPHMfMLn9ZCXbpK3DT2qRujayT5zPEXzxRoxAqtHh3JbNzr1kvFPl) he should have investigated how the organizers were promoting themselves — including on X. It was easy enough for me to find the announcement; a diligent journalist should be equally adept at such research.
This repackaging of hate as an innocuous event (poster announcing the tea-drinking meeting) is a known technique that far right groups use to recruit new members. Here's a report about similar activities in the U.S.:
--- start quote ---
More than any other white nationalist group operating today, Identity Evropa has attempted to frame their views in ways that appeal to mainstream conservative audiences. They downplay the extreme nature of their ideas, like referring to their ideal society as “ethno-pluralistic” rather than segregated. They push for a clampdown on immigration and stress nativist talking points that they believe will appeal to Trump supporters. They carefully manage their public image, holding only unannounced demonstrations where they hold banners with innocuous-sounding slogans like “Make America Beautiful Again.”
--- end quote ---
But don't be fooled by the marketing.
--- start quote ---
Despite Identity Evropa’s efforts to differentiate themselves from other segments of the white nationalist movement with their tony aesthetic and faux-academic jargon, their Discord chats show that their views were essentially the same as any other group in the alt-right. Members toed the party line and avoided using racial slurs or other crude language, but they still engaged in Holocaust denial, vilified Jews and black people, and read crudely racist content like the Daily Stormer.
--- end quote ---