Japan foreign ministry draws flak over costumes used in anti-terror drill

Japan’s foreign ministry has drawn criticism on social media that costumes used in its antiterrorism drill this month were specifically associated with the Middle East and the Islamic world.

Following the backlash, the ministry deleted a photo of the drill from its social media post. “We took various opinions seriously,” Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi said at a news conference on Friday, explaining the reason for the deletion.

“The drill is very important for the protection of Japanese nationals,” Motegi stressed. “We will work to release appropriate information at the appropriate time, as well as careful explanations.”

On Sept. 10, the drill was held with a security firm at a government facility in Tokyo to prepare for potential terror attacks and the abduction of Japanese nationals abroad.

The ministry reported the drill on X, with a photo of a scene in which a terrorist wearing a headscarf was covering a hostage’s head with a bag.

The photo sparked a wave of critical social media posts, including ones saying that the costume resembled a traditional Arab headscarf and that it was too stereotypical, as well as warning against fueling discrimination. Meanwhile, some posts praised the drill as realistic training and questioned the criticism.

In response, the ministry explained on social media that the terrorist costume was not based on any specific ethnic group, region, or religion, and also expressed regret for any misunderstanding.

Nevertheless, the deletion of the photo has not fully dispelled the online criticism.

The ministry has conducted antiterrorism drills since 2018, based on the lessons learned from the 2016 Dhaka terror attack, in which seven Japanese nationals were killed.

According to the security firm, these drills are designed to be as practical as possible, considering that the Dhaka terrorists had been trained to use weapons.

The ministry plans to hold three more drills this fiscal year. “We’ll consider how best to release information, but it’s really difficult to do that on social media,” said a senior ministry official.