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Japan has introduced new rules governing the use of social media during elections, requiring artificial intelligence-generated images and videos to be clearly labelled while prohibiting the spread of false or misleading information about candidates, the internal affairs minister said on Tuesday.
The measures, approved by parliament on Monday, will take effect in March and are aimed at protecting the integrity of the country’s electoral process.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi, whose ministry oversees elections and telecommunications, said the new rules were essential to ensuring free and fair elections.
“We believe that this is extremely important from the perspective of ensuring the fairness of elections,” Hayashi said.
The reforms follow concerns over the alleged use of AI-generated content to discredit candidates during the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership contest in 2025 and the parliamentary elections held in February.
However, unlike the European Union’s social media regulations, the Japanese rules do not include penalties for violations, raising questions among local media about how effective they will be.
According to reports, the government opted against enforcement measures to avoid tensions similar to those between the United States and the European Union over fines imposed under the bloc’s Digital Services Act.
Japanese authorities are expected to issue guidelines for social media platforms on implementing the new requirements and will require annual reports on compliance.
Government officials said the rules were designed to strike a balance between protecting freedom of expression and safeguarding the credibility of democratic elections.
