The Tamesis
December 19, 2024
Tokyo – The Liberal Democratic Party is discussing measures to deal with suspicious messages posted on social media that could influence the election.
On Tuesday, the Liberal Democratic Party's Electoral System Research Committee and the Information and Communications Strategy Research Committee, chaired by Ichiro Aizawa, held a joint meeting. They intend to consider the issue carefully.
The party is considering amending the Public Office Elections Act and tightening regulations on social media platform operators.
At the meeting, Aizawa mentioned the Hyogo Prefecture governor election, during which misinformation was spread on social media.
“[Spreading such inaccurate information] Far beyond what a fair and honest election should be,” he said. “We must take the necessary measures with great concern.”
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba also said he would consider taking action on election-related social media regulations.
Aizawa told reporters after the meeting that the LDP hopes to complete the matter before next summer's Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly and Senate elections. “The public confusion is real. We need to find policy and direction to deal with this situation,” he said.
At Tuesday's meeting, Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications staff explained how social media contributors earn income based on the number of views they receive, among other things.
“Using campaign-related content in social media posts to generate revenue is a big problem,” said an LDP lawmaker who attended the meeting.
Make money by posting
The Liberal Democratic Party's decision to start discussions on election-related social media regulations comes amid concerns that the harmful impact of such posts cannot be ignored ahead of next year's election.
The implementation of specific laws and regulations needs to overcome many obstacles, so both the ruling and opposition parties are also seeking extensive discussions.
The main topic discussed at Tuesday's joint meeting was the issue of social media systems where contributors can make money by posting.
Aizawa quoted the Hyogo Prefecture governor election in November: “[Some contributors] Conducting activities with a clear goal of making money… We cannot ignore this situation from the perspective of ensuring how the election is conducted.
Video-sharing sites often reward contributors based on the number of times a video is viewed, which has led to a proliferation of high-profile election-related videos regardless of whether they are factual and accurate, and has led to radicalization of content.
During the campaign for governor of Hyogo Prefecture, a large amount of information of unknown authenticity was spread on social media. During the House of Representatives by-election held in Tokyo’s 15th district in April, a video of a political group leader chasing other candidates’ campaign cars and other related videos circulated on social media.
One observer said the revenue structure of social media contributed to the confusion.
In various areas such as the Hyogo Prefecture governor election and the Nagoya mayor election, false statements have been spread, claiming that some candidates support policies that are different from their actual positions.
A senior Liberal Democratic Party official said social media had a serious impact on the election.
Formulating specific laws and regulations requires solving a number of issues, including how to balance rules with the freedom of speech guaranteed by the constitution and how to determine which information is false.
