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Japan Prime Minister Seeks Cooperation Against Disinformation During Online Meeting of International Summit for Democracy

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U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken speaks during the third Summit for Democracy on Monday.

By Kazusa Yoda / Yomiuri Shimbun Correspondent

16:10 JST, March 21, 2024

SEOUL — World leaders called for emerging technologies such as AI to be used appropriately so as to protect democracy, at an online meeting of the Summit for Democracy.

U.S. President Joe Biden, Prime Minister Fumio Kishida and Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy were among those participating in the leader-level meeting on Wednesday, the final day of the third Summit for Democracy. This year’s summit started on Monday and was hosted by South Korea for the first time.

Under the theme of “Democracy for Future Generations,” leaders also emphasized the necessity of countermeasures against disinformation.

Emerging technologies could strengthen democracy but could also weaken it, Biden said. He called for leaders to work together to protect freedom of the press and battle corruption, and to ensure free and fair elections.

Kishida said, “The spread of disinformation is a challenge common to all countries and requires common understanding and collaboration at the international level.”

The Summit for Democracy was first held by the United States in 2021 with the aim of uniting democratic forces against authoritarian countries.