A burgeoning political scandal is gripping Japan as new evidence surfaces alleging that the team of Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi orchestrated a sophisticated online smear campaign against political rivals using artificial intelligence.
According to a report published Sunday by the weekly magazine Shukan Bunshun, the Prime Minister's camp allegedly hired individuals to produce a barrage of smear videos. The report claims to possess substantial evidence, including 67 pieces of documentation such as text messages and online chat records, linking the Prime Minister's inner circle to these activities.
The controversy centers on the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) leadership race held last year. The report indicates that Takaichi's team specifically targeted rival politician Shinjiro Koizumi, utilizing AI-generated content to portray him as an "incompetent puppet." While numerous videos praising Takaichi were simultaneously disseminated to bolster her image, the campaign against Koizumi was particularly aggressive.
The investigation identifies Takeshi Kinoshita, one of Takaichi's closest confidants and aides, as a central figure in the operation. Kinoshita allegedly coordinated with video producer Ken Matsui, who revealed to the magazine that he generated between 100 and 200 videos per day using AI software during the LDP presidential election. According to Matsui, approximately 70% of these videos targeted Koizumi, 10% targeted rival candidate Yoshimasa Hayashi, and 20% were dedicated to promoting Takaichi.
The alleged campaign did not end with the party leadership race. The report further claims that during the House of Representatives election in February this year, Kinoshita again instructed Matsui to attack opposition candidates. These videos reportedly targeted Constitutional Democratic Party candidate Sumio Mabuchi, labeling him "an amateur harmful to the nation," and accused candidate Katsuya Okada of lying "as naturally as breathing."
Prime Minister Takaichi has previously denied these allegations during parliamentary questioning, stating that neither she nor her team had ever engaged in such activities. As of Sunday evening, neither the Prime Minister's office nor Takeshi Kinoshita has issued a public response to the latest evidence presented by Shukan Bunshun.
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Report finds evidence linking Takaichi's team to smear campaign
cgtn.com
