M'sian Teacher Who Rejected Malaysia Now Unwanted In Japan Too

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A Malaysian English teacher who lodged a police report after receiving xenophobic threats in Japan is now facing criticism for previously calling Malaysia a “failed country” and claiming he is “no longer Malaysian”

The teacher, who goes by @banden_tong on Threads, became the target of anti-immigrant flyers plastered on his front door and car in Yokohama on Monday (Nov 11).

However, as his story gained attention, screenshots of his past comments criticising Malaysia began circulating online, sparking accusations of hypocrisy.

In comments dated 5 February, he stated: “Yeah im glad to leave this shithole of a country too” and “Whatever tho im no longer Malaysian so” while discussing racism in Malaysia.

User al_hariss100 wrote: “Last time you replying to my message related post about Muslim in Japan, you said you happy leave Malaysia coz you blame especially Muslim Malaysia are racist. So do you happy now? Got racist by Japanese right wing here.”

Another user, _chiheooo, commented: “That guy says he’s former Malaysian, hate Malaysia and never want to go back. I hope he will not use Malaysian passport anymore.”

Police Launch Investigation, Advise Safety Measures

The controversy began when the teacher shared images of hateful flyers that had been discovered on his property.

One note read: “Please get out of Japan! You are not welcome. Japan does not need immigrants!!” signed by the “Yokohama City Conservative Faction”.

On Thursday (13 November), the teacher confirmed police would investigate and increase patrols in his area.

Police advised him to delete his post “for my own safety”, which he archived.

In his initial post, he expressed his lifelong love for Japanese culture and stated that he had worked hard to purchase a house and a car in Yokohama before starting his career as an English teacher.

Teacher’s Own Anti-Foreigner Posts Come Back to Haunt Him

The teacher’s own past posts reveal a troubling pattern of xenophobia that now seems to have come full circle.

In an April 2025 post on his thread, he uploaded a video of tourists talking on a Tokyo train—a breach of Japanese etiquette where silence is expected—complaining about “annoying foreigners” and calling for tourists who “can’t read the room” to be “permanently banned from Japan”—despite being a foreigner himself.

He appeared to see himself as different from “other foreigners,” adopting the same exclusionary rhetoric that mirrored Japanese right-wing talking points now being used against him.

His pattern of intolerance—whether toward his home country or fellow immigrants—has made him a lightning rod for backlash on both sides of the issue.

Many now view his current predicament as a case of reaping what he sowed.

READ MORE: [Watch] Malaysian Tourists Caught Carving Names In Kyoto’s Bamboo Forest On Live TV

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