Misinformation stating a city in Fukuoka Prefecture will start offering school lunches catering to Muslims went viral on social media around September 19.

One wrote on X that “if they don’t want to eat, just don’t. Muslims should be forbidden from Japan.” Another wrote on X that “if they can’t eat pork, they can just go back to their country.”

Kitakyushu city’s board of education held a news conference on September 24 to address the false information.

Kitakyushu City Board of Education / There is no fact that we have decided to provide school lunches catering to Muslim children.

One suspected reason behind the spread of misinformation is the “Smile Lunch” program that was launched by the Board of Education in February 2025.

28 ingredients were excluded to accommodate children with allergies. The excluded ingredient included pork, which is forbidden in Islam.

The city believes this fact may have been distorted, leading to the false information about Muslim-friendly school lunches.

Kitakyushu City Board of Education / We have received around 1,000 complaints related to the matter.

Kitakyushu City Board of Education / Some people have also expressed opinions questioning whether Muslim-friendly lunch is appropriate.

The city’s Board of Education aims to provide school lunches that as many children and students as possible can eat together.