TOKYO, Apr 27 (News On Japan) –
A viral social media video displaying a person believed to be a overseas nationwide being restrained by police in Tokyo has sparked widespread debate, with claims that officers had begun deporting troublesome vacationers by wrapping them ‘like sushi.’
The footage, posted on X in February 2026, was considered greater than 4.5 million occasions and reposted round 15,000 occasions. It was accompanied by an English caption claiming: ‘Japan has began sushi-rolling nuisance vacationers. Cause bother and police will wrap you up and deport you (lol).’
The authenticity of the video and the accuracy of the accompanying declare shortly got here below scrutiny.
The clip exhibits two cops confronting a person on a road. One officer throws him to the bottom earlier than a number of officers carry him onto what seems to be a inexperienced sheet. Four officers then wrap the person within the materials earlier than inserting him right into a patrol automotive marked with the emblem of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department.
To confirm the footage, reporters recognized the filming location as the world round JR Shin-Okubo Station in Tokyo’s Shinjuku Ward.
Interviews with workers at 11 close by companies discovered that staff at 4 institutions recalled an incident round February 2026 wherein a person believed to be a overseas nationwide turned closely intoxicated and prompted a disturbance, prompting police to reply.
However, none of these interviewed might verify witnessing the person being wrapped in a sheet.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department mentioned officers do in some circumstances use a ‘protecting sheet’ when transporting intoxicated people who’re appearing violently. According to police, the sheet is meant to maneuver individuals safely whereas drawing much less public consideration.
Based on witness accounts and the police rationalization, the incident proven within the video seems more likely to have occurred, although some particulars stay unverified.
Police additionally rejected the declare that the person was handled otherwise as a result of he was a foreigner. Officials mentioned using such gear is for security causes and is unrelated to nationality.
That means the central allegation within the put up — that police wrapped a overseas vacationer for deportation — was inaccurate.
The case highlights how jokes or exaggerated captions connected to real footage can shortly be mistaken for truth as soon as extensively shared on-line. As reposts multiply, deceptive textual content and actual photos can develop into separated from their authentic context, fueling false narratives.
Source: FNN