Council on Elections Asks Voters to Be Mindful of Fake Information; No New Legislation Ready Before Upper House Election

Yomiuri Shimbun

17 hours ago

A council on election campaigning comprised of seven ruling and opposition parties on Friday issued a statement calling on voters to be mindful of dis- and misinformation on social media ahead of the upcoming House of Councillors election.
The statement only went so far as to urge platform operators to strengthen countermeasures on their own initiative, with no relevant legislation to be put forward before the upper house election. The campaign begins on Thursday, with voting to take place on July 20.
Before any effective countermeasures can be enacted, there are thorny issues that need to be resolved, including those associated with the 'freedom of expression' guaranteed by the Constitution.
The statement also requested that voters confirm the source and authenticity of information they obtain on social media and expressed hope that they 'would utilize social media and other means to contribute to the development of democracy in Japan.' It also stated that the council would 'strive to meet the expectations of the people.'
Ichiro Aisawa, chairman of the LDP's Research Commission on the Election System, who is responsible for organizing the discussions, at a press conference on Friday emphasized that the council would continue to consider concrete measures for strengthening regulations.
The council — which consists of representatives from the Liberal Democratic Party, Komeito, the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan, the Japan Innovation Party, the Democratic Party for the People, Reiwa Shinsengumi and the Japanese Communist Party — has been considering specific measures to strengthen regulations on social media related to elections.
Discussions on such measures among the council began in December, in response to disturbances that cropped up in local elections in various parts of the country earlier last year.
In the Tokyo gubernatorial election, for example, campaign posters lacking in dignity, including one showing an almost naked woman, were an issue. In response, the ruling and opposition parties enacted a revised Public Offices Election Law in March that calls for a certain level of decency in campaign posters.
However, with regards to measures to deal with dis- and misinformation on social media, the council has only been able to include the phrase 'necessary measures will be taken' in the supplementary provisions of the law. Thus, no specific countermeasures have been included.
At the council meeting held on June 4, the LDP, which is leading the discussions, presented some measures to cope with dis- and misinformation on social media. However, some challenges that face their enactment have been pointed out.
A proposal to establish a provision that would urge platform operators to immediately delete posts when a complaint about defamation is lodged by a candidate or others may infringe on the 'freedom of expression' of those who posted it if the post is deleted without their consent.
Aisawa was also asked at the press conference when the council would reach a conclusion on the matter. But he only said, 'I would like to refrain from making any statement [on this matter].'
Hiroshi Ogushi, executive deputy president of the CDPJ, also did not go into details, saying only, 'We pledge to continue our discussions vigorously even after the Diet session in the autumn in order to reach a conclusion.'