Japan City Warns of Fake News about Ninja Recruitment

July 25, 2018

Iga, Mie Pref.- The central Japan city of Iga has released an unusual statement warning against fake news, noting, "We do not recruit ninjas."

The statement was issued Tuesday on the official website of the city, which has received numerous applications for ninja work after a U.S. radio program triggered a spate of stories that the city is suffering from a shortage of ninja.

The city says that it has not released such information.

On July 16, U.S. public broadcaster National Public Radio aired a program entitled "Japan's Ninja Shortage," featuring Iga's tourism promotion on ninja.

According to the city, the birthplace of Iga-style ninja, a program host said in the broadcast that "ninja performers can earn anywhere from about 23,000 dollars to about 85,000 dollars."

Since the program, stories about a ninja shortage have spread all over the world through news sites.

As of Tuesday, the city and a local tourism association had received over 100 applications and inquiries from at least 14 countries, including the United States, Spain, India and Ecuador.

Ninja is recognized globally thanks partly to the popularity of Japanese ninja manga series "Naruto."

"Although it was fake, we hope the news will encourage more people to visit our city," an official of the Iga government's tourism strategy division said. Jiji Press