News
Sanae Takaichi Claims Tourists Are Abusing Nara’s Deer
LDP lawmaker Sanae Takaichi stated during her LDP presidential campaign speech on September 22, 2025, that “foreign tourists are kicking the deer in Nara Park.” She added, “If there are people who harm what the Japanese cherish, we must take action,” insisting that she had “personally witnessed it.”
Opposition lawmakers criticized the comment as “lacking evidence” and “fueling prejudice.” Akira Koike of the Japanese Communist Party warned that the remark could “incite xenophobia.” Renhō of the Constitutional Democratic Party argued that violence against deer is unacceptable regardless of nationality, while also stressing the danger of relying on deleted SNS videos as evidence.
Officials from Nara Prefecture and Nara City stated they had not confirmed routine cases of tourists abusing deer, noting that patrols and awareness campaigns continue. In April 2025, the prefecture amended its Urban Park Ordinance to explicitly prohibit harmful acts such as “hitting or kicking deer.”
Source: Unseen Japan
TV Program Sparks “Staged Interview” Controversy
Following Takaichi’s remarks, a Nippon TV program aired a feature investigating the claim that “foreign tourists are abusing deer.” In the program, a local female tour guide, introduced as having worked in the Nara Park area for years, testified that she had “hardly ever seen such incidents.”
After the broadcast, online speculation surged that “the guide isn’t a real person” or that her statement was staged. Harassment escalated, with her photos circulated and demands made to expose her identity.
In response, a person claiming to represent her tour guide company posted a statement on X (formerly Twitter): “She is a real person, and her comments were based on her own experience. False speculation is spreading, and she is suffering mentally and physically.” They called for an end to the abuse.
Source: All About News
Supplementary Context
Currently, around 1,300 deer inhabit Nara Park (according to the Nara Deer Preservation Foundation), coexisting with over 10 million annual visitors. The deer were designated a Natural Monument in 1948 and revered as “messengers of the gods,” which means authorities cannot simply cull or forcibly manage them. Coexistence is the guiding principle.
But the close contact between people and deer also leads to trouble. Tourists sometimes kick or hit the deer because they are startled when deer nip at clothes or bags, out of fear, annoyance, drunken behavior, or simply low awareness of proper conduct. Some even mistakenly believe that hitting deer will make them behave. While not all actions stem from malice, viral clips of isolated incidents give the impression that abuse is widespread.
In response, Nara Prefecture revised the Urban Park Ordinance in April 2025 to explicitly ban “kicking or hitting deer.” Patrols and awareness campaigns have also been strengthened.
Adding another twist, former “problem YouTuber” Hezumaryu (Masahiro Harada) moved to Nara after gaining attention for his “deer patrol” activities and was elected to the city council. His rise underscores how the Nara deer issue now extends beyond “tourist manners,” highlighting questions about tourism policy, local economy, multicultural coexistence, and the challenges of protecting a designated Natural Monument.
Thus, the debate over Nara’s deer spans far beyond “tourist etiquette” into politics, media trust, and cultural attitudes toward foreigners. How do people overseas view this? Below are some translated comments from Reddit discussions.
Overseas Reactions
Here are selected and translated comments from the thread.
The deer cracker vendors are the ones who hit the deer the hardest. That’s how they keep them in line. In my opinion, Nara has over-commercialized the deer—they should live in the wild, not be turned into a tourist trap.
Wasn’t there a video a few months ago of a Japanese man yelling at a Chinese guy for punching a deer?
There are new clips surfacing all the time.
The reality is, tons of people visit Nara. Tons of deer are begging for food because Nara encourages it by selling deer crackers so people can feed them and get a silly bow.
Even if 0.01% of people are jerks who push, kick, or punch the deer, in absolute numbers that’s still a lot.
Personally, even one such person is too many.
I’ve only ever seen it once—and it was actually a Japanese homeless-looking man speaking fluent Japanese, pushing deer away roughly.
Nowadays, since 90% of tourists are foreigners, that “1 in 100,000” bad tourist is likely to be a foreigner, filmed, and then used to stir up hate.
People need to understand that filming one incident doesn’t mean anything statistically.
People need to understand that one recorded incident doesn’t mean anything statistically. If you highlight the worst 0.1% of behavior, you can demonize any group. Eventually, people think “they’re all like that,” when almost none of them are.
Oldest trick in the book: create an enemy to unite people against.
If you frame an enemy who can’t defend themselves, it’s easy to rally people against them.
If they were serious about protecting animals, they wouldn’t be using them as tourist attractions.
Politicians just want votes. They think making up “troublemaker tourists” will win them support. If tourists stop coming, they’ll complain, “Where did all the tourists who loved Japan go?”
Anti-foreigner rhetoric by politicians will have real consequences. Can they control the anger of the population toward foreigners?
Her “evidence” exists only in her own racist imagination.
But I bet you don’t see posts about this: a Japanese man killed a deer with an axe because it touched his car…
Is it “tourists are kicking deer” or “I saw a tourist kicking deer”? Those are very different statements.
Some crazy Japanese people are also killing deer… not such a big news. It should be treated the same way as the few bad tourists.
It’s so easy to trick conservatives: say “people different from us + crime = vote for me.”
Nara’s deer are such a hassle. When I gave crackers, they swarmed my wife. I wanted to kamehameha the whole herd… but I didn’t. This foreigner didn’t.
The vendors definitely hit the deer. That’s why the deer don’t swarm them.
Who needs evidence these days?
(Edit: Apparently people can’t recognize sarcasm 🤣)
There’s plenty if you actually look.
Evidence of foreigners abusing deer? Even Nara City officials said they’ve had no such reports.
Because they get chased off before making an official complaint.
No videos or posts on social media? In a place with thousands of tourists? That’s BS. Just more anti-foreigner rhetoric to get votes. Looking at her poll numbers, it isn’t working.
Follow the right accounts and you’ll see plenty. Out of millions of tourists, it’s clearly very few, but viral clips are abundant online.
I live in Japan and follow Japanese posts, but I’ve never seen any. The burden of proof is on her. She made the claim, so she should show evidence. Until then, it’s all BS.
True, but even if statistically rare, clips spread and go viral on social media.
Summary of Comments:
Most users warned against blindly believing the claim that “foreign tourists are abusing the deer.” Many emphasized that viral clips are statistically meaningless, and exaggerating isolated cases can demonize entire groups. Some recalled cases of Japanese individuals mistreating deer, suggesting the narrative serves political scapegoating. At the same time, criticism was also directed at Nara’s over-commercialization of deer and the contradiction between “protecting” them and using them as tourist attractions.
Analysis: Tourism, Politics, and Society Reflected in Nara’s Deer
At first glance, the issue seems to be about “tourist manners” or “animal welfare.” But in reality, it intersects with tourism policy, political rhetoric, media responsibility, and broader societal views of foreigners.
1. The Paradox of Deer as Tourism Assets
While Nara’s deer are protected as a Natural Monument, they are also commodified through the sale of “deer crackers.” This duality—sacred symbol versus economic resource—creates structural contradictions that make conflicts between humans and deer more likely.
2. Deer as “Pests” Elsewhere in Japan
Although revered in Nara, deer are considered agricultural pests in many rural areas, causing billions of yen in crop damage annually. This highlights the cultural exceptionality of Nara’s deer.
3. Takaichi’s Remarks in Context
Takaichi later clarified: “Japanese people too have been criticized for mistreating deer. It’s not about nationality.” In essence, she was appealing for respect from all visitors. Still, referencing anecdotal or unverified videos risked fueling the perception that foreigners were uniquely at fault.
4. Media Controversy and “Staged Interview” Claims
The TV interview with a guide led to accusations of staging and harassment. This case reflects not only the need for media transparency but also the risks of online speculation spiraling into mob behavior.
5. Tourism and Multicultural Coexistence
The deer debate symbolizes Japan’s broader challenge of balancing mass tourism with social harmony. Framing it solely as a “foreigner issue” oversimplifies the problem. Education, infrastructure, and cross-cultural policies are essential.
Conclusion
The Nara deer controversy is not merely about whether foreigners mistreat animals. It reflects how Japan navigates tourism, politics, media trust, and multicultural coexistence. Deer are pests in much of Japan yet sacred in Nara, making the debate uniquely complex. Ultimately, as Takaichi herself said, “Deer should be respected by both Japanese and foreigners alike.”
This issue transcends nationality, requiring reflection on animal welfare, sustainable tourism, responsible political speech, and mutual understanding between citizens and visitors.
See you in the next article.
