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The strange story of QAnon in Japan

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Trending: The strange story of QAnon in Japan

Factual

27/08/2022 GMT

BBC World Service - Trending, The strange story of QAnon in Japan

How did a bizarre US-based conspiracy theory lead to street protests around Japan?

How did a bizarre conspiracy theory about Donald Trump being the saviour of the world, lead to people protesting in the streets in Japan accusing police of being reptiles?

How did a bizarre US-based conspiracy theory about Donald Trump being the saviour of the world, lead to people protesting in the streets of Tokyo and Osaka accusing police of being reptiles? From its obscure online beginnings only a few years ago, the QAnon movement in Japan has morphed through several different phases, becoming ever more extreme in the process.

Its latest incarnation is a group called Yamato Q, which embraces a series of wild and false claims. Its members believe they have different genes from the rest of the population and that Covid-19 does not exist. Some have even attempted to disrupt vaccination centres. So should wider society be concerned?

Presenters: Jonathan Griffin and Shayan Sardarizadeh
Producer: Jonathan Griffin
Editor: Ed Main

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