"選挙SNS対策法案、衆院特別委で可決　偽情報の影響軽減," 25 June 2026

[Unofficial description by Business and Human Rights Centre]

A bill to revise legislation aimed at addressing the use of social media in election campaigns has been unanimously passed. The amendments, which require social media platform operators to take measures to mitigate the harmful effects of unlawful or false information on elections, are expected to come into force on 1 March next year.

Ichiro Aisawa of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party stated that the bill gives the utmost consideration to the constitutional right to freedom of expression, saying, “The decision on what measures to implement is left to the discretion of platform operators. The amendments do not provide for administrative sanctions or penalties.”

Hiromasa Nakano of the Centrist Reform Alliance explained that the measures required of platform operators “do not directly oblige them to remove individual pieces of content circulating on social media.” As examples, he cited suspending monetisation for content that breaches platform terms of service, prioritising the display of reliable information such as official websites, and displaying warnings to users.