A city in Fukuoka Prefecture said Tuesday a condo project envisioning mostly foreign occupants has been scrapped, after opponents of the plan staged a protest and campaigned against it online.
The condo developer had told Asakura locals in 2024 that it estimated about 40 percent of the occupants would be from China and another 40 percent those from Hong Kong and Taiwan. While opposition was muted initially, it caught fire on the internet through anti-immigration slogans starting around last fall.
According to the city, the company owning the prospective site of the housing complex told the developer on April 14 that it had decided to go “back to the drawing board” with the plan, and that the developer accepted it.
The city was informed of the decision on Monday.
In an apparent bid to mollify opponents of the original plan, the developer said in October that it would sell condo units to anyone, regardless of nationality. But the property owner has since expressed reservations about providing the land for the project.
Asakura, which lies about 20 kilometers southeast of the city of Fukuoka, has a population of 50,000. An expressway that connects Fukuoka and Oita prefectures runs through it.
In December, about 60 people hoisting the Hinomaru flag marched in the city center while chanting slogans such as “Asakura City must protect the safety of its citizens.”
A local who organized the demonstration said roughly one-third of the protesters were city residents and many others came from outside the city as supporters.
The organizer said he mainly campaigned on social media to maximize his impact.
“We have a small impact on our own, so I wanted the issue to go viral by piggybacking on the view that the Chinese are on a roll,” he said.
A person close to the municipal government expressed disappointment that the city had become a “prime target for people across the country who oppose immigration.”
© KYODO
