Japan eyes responsibility of social media users during elections

Japanese political parties are drafting revisions to the public offices election law and the information distribution platform law to address misinformation during election campaigns. A consulting group representing both ruling and opposition factions proposed that social media users must avoid harming election fairness through false statements or factual distortions. The outline also specifies that users posting AI-generated content must label it to prevent confusion with real footage. The revised election law would explicitly state that users cannot undermine election integrity by spreading falsehoods. Meanwhile, the platform law would require social media companies to take necessary steps to reduce the impact of illegal or misleading information, including submitting yearly reports to the government. Legislation formalizing these changes is expected soon, with the government targeting passage during the current parliamentary session ending in July. If approved, the new rules would take effect on March 1, 2027, ahead of the unified local elections scheduled for the following spring. The proposals aim to curb the spread of deepfake videos, manipulated images, and other deceptive content that could influence voter perception. Social media platforms would face obligations to monitor and mitigate harmful misinformation while collaborating with authorities to ensure compliance.