Key facts
- Social media platforms may have to temporarily suspend revenue-sharing for posts.
- Legislation aims for enactment during the current Diet session.
- Users may be obliged to label AI-generated content.
- Social media businesses would report to the government annually.
Japan's communications ministry on Friday unveiled draft guidelines for 13 major social media operators to help reduce the impact of misinformation and disinformation during elections. The proposed measures include temporarily suspending revenue-sharing for posts that gain significant viewership and requiring users to label AI-generated content. The legislation, which aims to be enacted during the current Diet session, follows an agreement among nine Japanese political parties, including the ruling Liberal Democratic Party and the opposition Centrist Reform Alliance, to legislate against disinformation, misinformation, and slander on these platforms. Social media businesses would be required to report annually to the government, with revisions expected to be enforced on March 1, 2027.