With less than a month to go before Japan’s Upper House election, concerns over misinformation and online defamation are prompting lawmakers to push for stricter content regulation on social media platforms.
Members of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) are calling on tech giants — including X (formerly Twitter), Google, and LY Corp., the operator of Line and Yahoo Japan — to step up efforts in removing false or defamatory content targeting political candidates. At a meeting held in May, LDP lawmakers urged the companies to delete such posts on the same day they are identified and to withhold financial payouts to accounts spreading misinformation.
Current Laws May Not Be Enough
The requests come amid rising frustration that existing regulations are not fast or effective enough to curb online harm during election season. Under the Information Distribution Platform Law, which came into effect in April 2025, platforms are protected from liability if they act to remove flagged content within seven days, provided the original poster does not respond.
However, the law contains a special clause for election-related defamation, reducing the response window to two days. Despite this, lawmakers say the damage from viral misinformation often occurs within hours, making even a two-day delay insufficient during critical campaign periods.
Threat of Legislation
Officials hinted that new legislation could be introduced if platforms fail to take more aggressive action voluntarily. “We’re asking them to act swiftly and responsibly,” one LDP lawmaker said, warning that if cooperation is limited, legal obligations may soon follow.
The growing concern reflects broader global anxieties about how misinformation on social media is shaping political discourse and election outcomes. Japan’s leaders are now grappling with how to balance free speech with the need to protect democratic integrity, especially during tightly contested races.
Tech Platforms Under Pressure
While the platforms have acknowledged the need for caution during election cycles, they also face challenges in moderating content at scale, particularly in nuanced political contexts. Google, X, and LY Corp. have not publicly commented on the lawmakers’ latest requests, but internal discussions on policy updates are reportedly ongoing.
As the July election nears, Japan joins a growing list of democracies urgently reassessing social media’s role in the electoral process — and how far governments should go to ensure that role remains fair and factual.
Source:https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2025/06/27/japan/politics/regulating-social-media-elections/
