Why This Topic Landed in Japan

Two threads about Vietnamese residents in Japan surfaced on the same day. In one, fruit listed on Mercari with Vietnamese-language descriptions—and a large Facebook fruit sale—were framed as suspected resale of stolen produce; the allegation that the fruit was actually stolen spread from social-media posts and listing screenshots and has not been confirmed by police or major reporting, and some commenters questioned whether the sellers were even Vietnamese rather than farmers themselves. Crop theft is a real and painful problem for farmers, which is why the suspicion resonated, even though the claim that this particular fruit was stolen remains unproven. In the other thread, a report said Vietnamese workers are increasingly choosing not to come to Japan, citing pay, tougher Japanese-language requirements, and a lack of goodwill from Japanese people—prompting a more self-critical strand about a society that has leaned on cheap foreign labor.

Key Reaction Themes

  • Crime worry and demands on the system — Sympathy for farmers merged with anger at lenient non-prosecution of foreigners and weak identity checks on flea-market apps.
  • Skepticism and shared blame — Doubts that the sellers were even the thieves, and a "worst-to-least: Mercari > thieves > buyers" apportioning of responsibility.
  • Self-reflection on labor and the talent drain — "A revolt against exploitative employers" and "the result of immigration policy," alongside the pragmatic warning that Japan's front lines collapse without these workers.

What Japanese Netizens Are Saying

Suspected online resale of stolen fruit

Aomori fruit listed on Mercari with Vietnamese-language descriptions, and a large Facebook fruit sale, spread as an unconfirmed allegation of stolen-goods resale.

Lico零号機🇯🇵
Lico零号機🇯🇵
@lico337
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【悲報】 逆ギレベトナム人現る🇻🇳 ベトナム人が(盗んだ桃を)同胞向けに売ってるだけなのに「日本人なら絶対に食べない！」って騒ぐの、逆に恥ずかしいぞ😂 熟す前に盗まれるから早くもぐ文化を馬鹿にするな。文化の違いを異常扱いするな！ ↑ 黙れ！くそベトナム人🇻🇳 ここは日本だ！  Show more

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Min
Min
@Minsocute33

ベトナム人が同胞向けに売ってるだけなのに 「日本人なら絶対食べない！」って騒ぐの、逆に恥ずかしいぞ😂 ベトナムでは未熟な桃やマンゴーを唐辛子塩かけてサクサク食べるのが普通。 熟す前に盗まれるから早くもぐ文化もある。 日本の梅干しや青梅も外国人には「何これ？」って言われるだろ？

Reply
Read 37 replies

Comments:

  • "Buying food on Mercari takes real courage, if you ask me."
  • "Criminals sell, fools buy, and the people who got robbed just have to grin and bear it with no recourse. It's rotten from end to end."
  • "For starters, stop declining to prosecute foreigners."
  • "I'm from Aomori—are you kidding me? This is our livelihood. Our lives depend on it. Don't just toss off comments to feel good about yourselves."
  • "Enforce strict identity verification on resale sites, make operators report suspicious transactions, and link it up with the tax agency and immigration—wouldn't that make things at least somewhat better? If you repurpose the framework of the anti-money-laundering law, you could draft the bill quickly, right?"
  • "In order of worst: Mercari > the thieves > the buyers."
  • "It's the fault of the people who brought in the immigrants. Immigrants aren't the average people of a country—it's the gambling-loving, adventurous, ambitious types who become immigrants."
  • "It's a revolt against the crap farmers who treat them like slaves."

Vietnamese talent turning away from Japan

A report said Vietnamese workers are increasingly not choosing Japan, citing pay, tougher Japanese-language requirements, and a lack of goodwill from Japanese people.

Sources: Yahoo! news, 2ch

Comments:

  • "There are a lot of Vietnamese doing bad stuff, so of course people won't be friendly."
  • "It'd be nice if they could figure out the reason people aren't friendly~"
  • "So the only ones left will be the Vietnamese underground networks? The brokers are the real problem to begin with, though."
  • "With Uniqlo and drugstore shoplifting and crop theft standing out so much, you can't exactly become friendly."
  • "Whenever they're in the news it's mostly crime-related. On an individual level it depends on the person, but the image has stuck."
  • "Well, once the 'work' is done they'd want to hurry home—before they get caught."
  • "You'd be wary too if people you can't communicate with were hanging around."
  • "But if Vietnamese people stop coming, Japan is done for—there's nowhere nearby that's even cheaper."