Manga & Anime

X Platform to Help Spread Japanese Anime Around World; Executive Vows to Battle ‘Impression Farming’ with AI

The Yomiuri Shimbun
Ayumu Matsuyama, the head of the Japanese unit of X Corp. (formerly Twitter, Inc.), speaks in an interview in Tokyo.

By Yasuhiro Kobayashi / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

16:23 JST, April 28, 2024

The Japan unit of X Corp., formerly Twitter, Inc., will use the social media platform to further spread Japanese anime and movies around the world, the head of the unit said in a recent interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun.

Representative Director Ayumu Matsuyama also emphasized that the Japan company will use AI to devise countermeasures against so-called impression farming posts made for money.

In April, X began distributing “Monster #8,” an anime based on the popular Japanese manga “Kaiju No. 8,” all over the world. This was the first time that a program was broadcast on X and on a television network at the same time.

Matsuyama said the anime was well received all over the world.

“We’ll continue to distribute Japanese content, including movies, sports and news programs, in addition to anime, which is an asset that Japan can boast of to the world,” Matsuyama said.

Matsuyama assumed his current post in April 2023 after joining Twitter in 2014. He said X will soon launch an app that allows users to watch videos posted on X on smart televisions.

There were about 40 million daily X users in Japan in 2023, the second most in the world after the United States and an increase of 3% from 2022.

Japan users averaged 43 minutes a day on X from January to March, the highest in the world.

However, disinformation spread on X regarding the Noto Peninsula Earthquake that occurred in January. A system introduced in summer last year to pay advertising revenues according to impressions, or the number of views, appears to have been a contributing factor.

Matsuyama emphasized that while the distribution of ad revenues will continue, his company will strengthen measures against false information, such as using AI to detect disinformation and tracking and deleting unscrupulous accounts.

“We’ll strengthen our systems and investments at various levels while protecting freedom of speech,” Matsuyama added. He declined to give specific details, however.