From the end of March 2026, social platform X (formerly Twitter) will officially launch the “automatic translation” function driven by the AI model Grok to users around the world. This technological innovation, originally intended to eliminate language barriers and promote cross-border communication, unexpectedly triggered a cultural conflict. Tens of thousands of xenophobic and racially discriminatory remarks that were originally blocked in Japanese circles were pushed to the eyes of users around the world overnight, triggering a collective backlash from netizens around the world.
X Japanese automatic translation function accidentally exposed a large number of Japanese discriminatory and xenophobic remarks
According to estimates, Japan currently has about 75 million active users of the X platform, accounting for about 60% of the country’s total population. Japan has also been the second largest market in the world for X, with the number of daily posts almost equal to that of the United States. Former X CEO Jack Dorsey even confirmed that Japan has been dominant since the first year of the platform’s creation. However, for a long time, language barriers have prevented the daily posts of the huge number of Japanese users from being seen by ethnic groups from other countries. However, on March 30, 2026, the automatic translation function developed by xAI technician Rei Hotate was officially launched. Overseas posts will automatically be displayed in the user’s native language without additional clicks. Something unexpected started to happen.
本日、日本語ユーザー側でもGrokによる自動翻訳を広げます！ https://t.co/iKbBVITfpH
— Ray Hotate 保立怜 (@rayhotate) March 30, 2026
The Japan Times reported an interesting anecdote: A Japanese user shared a story about neighbors at a US military base having a barbecue, which actually triggered nearly 50 million views around the world. It also spawned a large number of AI meme images of “Samurai and Cowboys Barbecuing Together” co-created by American and Japanese netizens.
アメリカ男性と肉ならこの写真が好き
いつか現地でこれに参加したい https://t.co/EcBseDNjFJ pic.twitter.com/6VRgh4pFCD— ホットケーキくん(ホッケチャンネル) (@hotcake_kun_) March 27, 2026
The dark side after the language barrier disappears
However, the good atmosphere did not last long. When automatic translation broke down the high wall between Japanese and other languages, a large number of xenophobic remarks that were originally hidden in the Japanese circle were also exposed (especially the fact that the Japanese are actually xenophobic as a nation). In mid-April 2026, a widely discussed post appeared on Reddit’s r/self subreddit, titled “After seeing the translation function of X, I completely lost respect for the Japanese.” The poster is a 17-year-old African-American girl. She said:
“I remember that I was fascinated and interested in Japan for a long time because of their entertainment, music and anime. I even wanted to go there for a time. I loved the food culture and traditions there. However, unfortunately, because of the recent translation mechanism, I had the misfortune to see Japan’s X circle. There, I saw thousands of Japanese who were racist and anti-immigrant. They were extremely discriminatory towards black people, even though we never offended them. At the same time, they showed great self-loathing and were submissive to white people.”
This post accumulated 1,945 likes and more than 1,035 comments in just a few days, quickly becoming a hot topic on Reddit.
Another post on the r/OutOfTheLoop section also attracted attention. One user asked: “Why do so many Japanese racist posts suddenly appear on my X homepage?” The post received 826 likes and 273 comments. A netizen who received 1,320 likes replied: “After the AI Japanese-English seamless translation is fully online, racists and right-wingers in various countries have found each other. People who were unable to communicate due to language barriers in the past can now communicate. The algorithm is deliberately amplifying this content because it is tuned to focus on quoted tweets and comments.”
What’s up with these racist post by Japanese people suddenly showing up on my twitter for you page?
by u/Positive_Cheek4728 in OutOfTheLoop
Behind this storm, the algorithm of the X platform played a key role. Many Reddit users pointed out that the platform’s algorithm is adjusted to prioritize content with high interactivity, and that hateful and xenophobic speech that is controversial and inflammatory is most likely to trigger a large number of citations and comments, thereby gaining more exposure (similar problems exist on Threads and Facebook).
Deep structural problems in Japanese society
This Internet storm also reflects the long-standing structural problems of Japanese society. Japan is facing multiple crises such as 35 years of negative wage growth, a super-aging society, low desires of young people, continuous currency depreciation, and skyrocketing prices. These social pressures have become the source of “self-pitying” emotions on the Internet. (What’s more, there are extreme people everywhere. Just look at Taiwan’s own social platforms to see)
The comment with the highest number of likes (2,597) on Reddit hit the nail on the head: “They are not doing this to cater to Westerners. Japan is one of the most xenophobic countries in the world. This is deeply ingrained in their culture and has nothing to do with external influences.”
Another comment with 461 likes said more bluntly: “The Japanese are indeed very racist. I find it funny that some people actually think that Japan (and many other Asian countries) are not super racist. Even the Nazis in Japan thought they were too far ahead and told them to calm down. This is the consequence of just telling people that ‘only white people are racist’. The world is big and there is racism everywhere, no matter what you look like.”
However, there are also voices of reason. One user who received 267 likes reminded: “If I judged all Americans based on the crazy things I see Americans say every day, I would absolutely hate them. But I know there are countless good people out there just trying to get by. I believe the same is true in Japan. Every country is currently experiencing a wave of fascist parties, and Japan is no exception.”
summary
The automatic translation function of the This storm also reminds people that the disappearance of language barriers does not mean that the gaps in understanding have been filled. .
For Taiwanese readers, this incident provides an important perspective: in the digital era of globalization, any closed language circle may be broken due to a technological innovation. When the automatic translation mechanism for Chinese and Korean is also online, it may not only expose Japan’s xenophobia. In this era when the “Tower of Babel” is crumbling, how to maintain cultural understanding and respect while eliminating language barriers will be a common issue faced by all mankind.
Source: KOCPC Chinese