PRESS CONFERENCE
Recent Rise of Social Media in Japan and its Impact on Politics
Iwao Osaka, Professor, Komazawa University Faculty of Law
Yasuomi Sawa, Journalist & Professor, Waseda University


11:00-12:00, Wednesday, December 3, 2025
Language: The speech and Q & A will be in English.

Late to embrace digital media, Japan has long been thought of as less vulnerable to disinformation spread online by populist politicians and their trolling supporters. That may no longer be the case. The arrest last month of Takashi Tachibana, a political activist with a large Internet following, on suspicion of defaming a Hyogo prefectural assembly member who later committed suicide has focused attention on the emergence in Japan of a political behavior that uses social media to spread falsehoods and anonymous threats. The sudden increase in electoral support among young voters for anti-immigrant Sanseito in this year's Upper House elections has been seen as part of the same trend. Sanseito has been linked to false rumors spread on social media of an alleged foreign takeover of Sendai City's water supply. Professors Osaka and Sawa have both engaged in in-depth research on the impact of Internet-based media on Japanese politics. Political scientist

Professor Osaka will talk about possible future countermeasures and changes in the strategies of politicians. Professor Sawa, who both teaches and practices journalism, will discuss the impact of fake news and misinformation and the role that journalists can play in the age of social media. Professor Sawa is the co-author of the Japan section of the Reuters' Institute's annual report on news consumption worldwide.
 

How to attend: 
Please register by emailing front@fccj.or.jp with your name and the name of your media outlet. FCCJ members should also include their membership number. Doors will open 15 minutes before the event.

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TV crew: Please make a reservation at front@fccj.or.jp. Doors open for TV crews only at 30 minutes before the event. FCCJ will limit live-streaming of FCCJ-hosted press conferences to Club members only. Non-members will no longer be permitted to live-stream these events. However, non-members may still film for reporting purposes and use footage after the press conference.

Professional Activities Committee