Advertisers to Be Asked to Ensure Ads Not Displayed on Inappropriate Websites that Spread Misinformation

The Yomiuri Shimbun

16:07 JST, March 4, 2025

The Internal Affairs and Communications Ministry presented a draft proposal of a guideline that requires advertisers to ensure the proper distribution of online advertisements, at an expert panel on Monday.

The guideline encourages companies to take voluntary measures such as drawing up an advertising management policy and implementing a tool to verify websites where advertisements are distributed. The aim is to prevent ads from being placed on inappropriate websites that contain misinformation and advertisement money from being paid.

The ministry plans to formulate the guideline and release it as early as this month.

The draft proposal, which was presented at the expert panel’s working group, noted risks including advertisements appearing on inappropriate websites that could cause damage to a company’s reputation and ad money being paid to malicious websites.

The guideline takes the stance that advertisers have certain social responsibilities, asking companies, for example, to establish a system to consolidate the information on internet advertisements and to respond to risks.

According to Dentsu Inc., the market size of online advertising in 2024 was about ¥3.651 trillion.

It is common for online ads to be placed based on user’s interests. However, ad revenue flowing to inappropriate websites could contribute to the spread of misinformation.