Upper House Election: Japan ‘target of foreign election interference’ online; Bots Found Pushing Posts Fomenting Japan-U.S. Division

The Yomiuri Shimbun

14:54 JST, July 17, 2025

Japan is among the targets of foreign interference in elections, Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiko Aoki said Wednesday.

According to a government official, election-related false information seems to have been spread by foreign entities through social media. The government has heightened its vigilance, suspecting that such activities are aimed at influencing Sunday’s House of Councillors election.

“There have been cases overseas in which false information is spread as part of measures to influence public opinion in one country and create an information environment favorable to another country,” Aoki said at a press conference. He said Japan will “swiftly grasp relevant developments and inform and caution the public about the spread of disinformation, as necessary.”

According to the government official, several private data companies and others studied posts critical of the Japanese government, which were spreading on social media, and found that they were being spread by foreign forces using bots, which are digital tools that can be used to automatically perform repetitive tasks. Some of the posts are believed to have been repeatedly reposted or garnered many “likes.” The bots are said to include ones aimed at fueling divisions between Japan and the United States.

Minister for digital transformation Masaaki Taira also said Tuesday there were cases of foreign interference in elections abroad, and similar moves have been confirmed in relation to the upper house election. “It is necessary to closely monitor the situation,” Taira said at a press conference.