There is no doubt that misinformation in Japan has become one of the leading issues in modern culture, with the power to affect public perception, decrease trust in real information and influence political discourse. In particular, Japanese misinformation of the digital variety is an increasingly common source of tension in society, thanks largely to the ever-growing reach of social media. Recognizing the impact that this pervasive content can have on public trust and mood, the government has seen it as essential to do what they can to intervene.
Japan has started to understand the full threat the information manipulation can pose in the 21st century, and the country has started to take legislative action in order to establish a solid legal framework that is designed to control the inevitable spread. A number of key policies have been introduced to work to create a culture of accountability, alongside providing guidelines for how to monitor and address offending false information.
One of the major cornerstones of the country’s efforts is the Act on the Protection of Personal Information, which though mainly focusing on privacy, also sets out a list of standards for how to manage digital content in a responsible way. In addition, there is the Telecommunications Business Act which is enabling authorities to address levels of online abuse and insidious content, providing regulatory bodies with a higher level of legal standing when it comes to overseeing telecommunications related to fake news top stories.
Further framework comes with the Basic Cybersecurity Law, under which Japan has adopted a set of guidelines that work to protect against cyber attacks and maintain security of information transmitted online. Combined, these above-mentioned laws are helping to establish a good foundational framework from which the Japanese government can benefit..
In order to be able to actually enforce these laws on , the country has implemented a number of regulatory measures that include partnerships across a variety of key sectors:
The Japanese government employs a range of regulatory bodies to oversee the
misinformation management project, with the MIC (Ministry of Internal Affairs and
Communications) taking the central role. MIC goes about writing guidelines and setting policies for telecommunications and media sectors, obviously with the aim of mitigating the spread of Japanese misinformation. In a more general sense, the NPA (National Police Agency) monitors flagged disinformation campaigns and online threats.
It is important to understand and accept that tackling misinformation in Japan cannot be done by the government alone, and as a result Japan has entered into collaborative efforts with a number of tech companies as well as civil society. These collaborations are created with the aim of developing guidelines for the responsible management of content, encouraging platforms to swiftly flag and delete Japanese misinformation that they find.
For example, the MIC is in frequent dialogue with the likes of X, Facebook and Google, as well as the prominent Japanese social media platforms, in order to keep open lines of communication and cooperation.
Another essential initiative comes in the form of the Information and Communications Council, which advises on policies to do with digital ethics. Such initiatives include:
The Japanese government has presented a number of campaigns that are designed to educate citizens on being able to identify misinformation in Japan before succumbing to it.
Japanese tech companies have committed to integrating AI based programs that can provide solutions in detecting misinformation on a large scale.
The government has committed to collaborating with schools and universities across the country to encourage a greater level of media literacy, helping people to recognize potential misinformation and respond to it in a fitting way.
Thankfully, the approaches taken by Japan and its government have already shown successes in a range of ways:
During the global COVID-19 pandemic, Japan worked on implementing a thorough response to medical misinformation. The Japanese government established a dedicated information platform that provided real time information and updates about issues like virus transmission, healthcare protocols and vaccination progress. Having this official source to refer to meant that a lot of the widespread false narratives could be avoided by many.
Timely providing of real, accurate information has helped to foster an increased sense of public trust in the Japanese government and its resources.
The effective COVID-19 response helped to strengthen the relationship between the tech firms in the country, which has paved the way to much smoother potential misinformation related collabs in the future.
Fact checking practices became much more systematic and streamlined, which made it much easier to address misinformation both during and beyond the pandemic.
Though there has been a high level of success, there are some challenges that Japan still faces in the ongoing battle against misinformation. These include:
A key area of opposition when it comes to battling Japan’s misinformation is the concern around free speech. It is crucial to strike a balance between halting damaging falsehoods while still upholding the right to free expression.
The emergence of AI driven tracking and monitoring tools has seen the issue of privacy become a contentious one. Certain citizens worry about excessive surveillance as an excuse for detecting misinformation.
Misinformation techniques evolve extremely rapidly, which makes it very difficult to properly regulate and detect threats. Even the most sophisticated tools are constantly having to update and evolve reactively and proactively.
A further large hurdle is the general public skepticism towards the government. Building trust between public and authority is something that can be very gradual and challenging.
Of course, this problem of misinformation isn’t one that is unique to Japan, it rather impacts the entire Asia-Pacific region. The rise of digital platforms has seen a wider than ever spread of misleading false narratives, and one of the most effective tools that has emerged to fight this is Osavul.
Osavul is a suite of powerful tools that can provide organizations and governments with important real time data on false information trends across news platforms, social media, blogs and more. Through analyzing and aggregating the data, it can help to identify emerging alarming trends that pose harm.
The program’s advanced analytic powers can help governments to obtain the most accurate insights on various misinformation patterns.
Osavul enables data sharing across the APAC region, which is helpful for the Japanese government to be able to cooperate with neighboring countries in a crucial real time manner.
Osavul’s ability for early detection makes it more possible than ever for users to intercept and intervene before detected misinformation is able to gain serious momentum among the population.
Ultimately, Japan’s committed response to the problem of misinformation is testament to just how much of a challenge it is in the modern culture, and how multifaceted the approach needs to be. Through a combination of solid legal framework, proactive regulatory measures, productive cooperation with tech companies and use of powerful tools like Osavul, there is a clear path to combating the false narratives that pose so much threat to civil society.
