Japan as a Harbinger of Online Disinformation

• In Event: The Power of Information and Disinformation in a Comparative Context

Abstract

Phillip Lipscy recently (2022) wrote in the Japanese Journal of Political Science that Japan ought to be seen as a harbinger state, which he defines as a country that “experiences many challenges before others in the international system.” In line with the APSA theme statement of “Rights and Responsibilities in an Age of Mis- and Disinformation,” I will build upon Lipscy’s framework by arguing in my proposed paper that Japan as early as the year 1999 was a harbinger of online disinformation. In that year, Japanese entrepreneur Nishimura Hiroyuki founded 2channel. This was one of the first anonymous textboard websites, and over the years it became notorious for tolerating, spreading, and fanning the flames of anti-Korean and other types of disinformation in Japan. A recent New York Times profile of Nishimura by Ben Dooley and Ueno Hisako (12/18/22) stated that he endeared “himself to young Japanese who feel oppressed by their country’s rigid rules.”

This is an intriguing and disturbing statement, implying that being able to spread disinformation online in Japan functions as a kind of safety valve for a rigid, conformist society. How should governments rein in and/or prohibit this kind of often harmful, nefarious online activity without adding to the problem of making certain people feel even more oppressed and marginalized? My paper will analyze these issues and look in-depth at renewed concerns in Japan about online disinformation following the assassination of former Prime Minister Abe Shinzo in July 2022.

Author

• Anand Rao, SUNY Geneseo