Media Bias Scrutinized as 'Ishiba Don't Quit' and 'Ishiba Quit' Protests Held Simultaneously in Japan

On August 31, 2025, two simultaneous demonstrations, the 'Ishiba Don't Quit' rally calling for Mr. Ishiba's continued service and the 'Ishiba Quit' rally demanding his resignation, garnered significant attention on social media. The latter, the 'Ishiba Quit' rally, reportedly reached a massive scale, filling the area from the Prime Minister's Official Residence to the vicinity of the National Diet Building, with thousands of participants.

However, according to posts by X (formerly Twitter) users, a clear bias was observed in the response of news organizations. While the 'Ishiba Don't Quit' rally, reported to have hundreds of participants, was covered by many major media outlets, the 'Ishiba Quit' rally, which was reportedly much larger, received almost no coverage.

In response to this reporting stance, a flood of criticism erupted on X, with comments such as 'The media broadcasted the 'Ishiba Don't Quit' rally, so surely they'll broadcast the 'Ishiba Quit' rally too, right?' and 'If a news organization doesn't report on it, can't we judge them as old media engaging in biased reporting?' Voices expressing strong distrust of the media followed one after another, including 'Evil biased reporting that's anything but public!' and 'The mass media is a brainwashing device... it's truly dangerous.'

Furthermore, concerns about information control have also emerged, with observations that the hashtag '#IshibaQuitRally' did not trend on X, and while the 'Ishiba Don't Quit' rally ranked among Yahoo! Japan's SNS topics, most of its content consisted of criticism regarding the lack of coverage for the 'Ishiba Quit' rally.

Many users strongly demanded that media outlets that reported on the 'Ishiba Don't Quit' rally should also fairly report on the 'Ishiba Quit' rally. Some even went as far as to declare that if there was no coverage, 'we don't need media that are government lapdogs and don't tell the public the truth' and 'old media are enemies of the Japanese people.'

This series of demonstrations and the stark divergence in media reporting have once again prompted the public to question the reliability of media in an information society and how 'public opinion' is perceived.

The Context

Shigeru Ishiba is a prominent Japanese politician belonging to the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), Japan's dominant ruling party. He has a long career in national politics, having held various cabinet positions, including Minister of Defense and Minister for Local Revitalization. Ishiba is often seen as a potential future prime minister and has frequently challenged for the LDP presidency. The 'Ishiba Don't Quit' and 'Ishiba Quit' rallies in August 2025 likely reflect public sentiment regarding his political standing or a specific policy stance, possibly in anticipation of an LDP leadership election or a cabinet reshuffle. The Prime Minister's Official Residence and the National Diet Building are central government locations, making them symbolic venues for political protests. The criticism of media bias, including terms like 'old media' and 'massgomi' (a derogatory term combining 'mass media' and 'gomi' or 'trash'), highlights a growing distrust among some segments of the Japanese public towards traditional news outlets. This distrust is often fueled by perceptions of a lack of critical reporting on government policies or a tendency to align with established political powers. X (formerly Twitter) and Yahoo! Japan are widely used platforms for news and social commentary in Japan, and the allegations of information control on these platforms further underscore concerns about media independence and the fair representation of public opinion.