Tokyo International News Agency

A statement, 'I'll lower her approval rating,' leaked from a live stream during a waiting period for journalists to interview Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential candidate Sanae Takaichi, causing a significant stir on social media. This audio quickly spread, drawing strong criticism regarding the impartiality and ethics of news organizations. The controversial remark was heard among journalists waiting for Ms. Takaichi's 'burasagari kaiken' (impromptu press scrum) and reached a wide audience through the live-streamed video. In addition to the blatant 'I'll lower her approval rating' comment, other audio snippets like 'It's about slush funds and Yasukuni, right?', 'Yasukuni cannot be compromised,' and 'Wearing earphones and getting instructions from Mr. Aso' also spread, fueling speculation about their intent and context. On social media, strong distrust and criticism toward news organizations abounded, with comment...

Suspicions of stealth marketing (astroturfing) instructions by Shinjiro Koizumi's camp have emerged in connection with the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election, leading to a deluge of calls on social media for his withdrawal from the race. On the internet, 'Withdraw' (辞退して) has become a trending topic, spreading strong public distrust. This alleged astroturfing issue, reportedly covered by Shukan Josei PRIME and Yahoo! News, involves suspicions that Koizumi's camp directed fake posts praising him with phrases like 'Shinjiro Mansei' (Long Live Shinjiro) and slandering other candidates with comments such as 'Don't lose to fake business conservatives,' all in an attempt to manipulate public opinion in their favor. In response, many citizens are vehemently protesting, stating that it 'distorted a free and healthy space for public discourse.' On X (formerly Twitter), numerous comments point out that Koizumi's Instagram comment ...

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government's announcement of signing memoranda of understanding (MOUs) and agreements for accepting Egyptian workers has led to a strong backlash, primarily from Tokyo residents, spreading across social media platform X (formerly Twitter). According to reports, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government signed four MOUs/agreements with Egypt, including one focused on enhancing the professionalism of teachers. Among these, an agreement between the Tokyo Bureau of Industrial and Labor Affairs and the Egyptian-Japanese Economic Committee includes providing information and developing training programs to help Egyptian workers secure jobs in Japan. However, in response to this announcement, many Tokyo residents and online users have voiced concerns and criticisms, such as "Why are Egyptian nationals being given preferential treatment?", "Will our tax money be used to pay their rent?", and "Won't this lead to a deterioration of public safety?...

On July 20th, the day votes were cast and counted for the House of Representatives election, a remark made by Mr. Shigeru Ishiba in the final stages of the campaign — "A politics where it's 'good enough for now,' or 'good enough just for us,' will lead the nation to ruin" — sparked a significant backlash on social media. However, much of the reaction was critical, labeling Ishiba's statement a "boomerang" aimed directly at his own Liberal Democratic Party. Online, a barrage of scathing comments followed Ishiba's words, such as "We'll return that statement to the LDP, exactly as it is," "That's what you guys have been doing, isn't it?" and "Is this the LDP's self-introduction?" This widespread criticism appears to be fueled by recent issues concerning money in politics, particularly the so-called 'slush fund scandal,' and dissatisfaction with tax increases. One user harshly questioned,...

The recent initial public trial for an unlicensed tree felling case has sparked widespread controversy, as the Chinese defendant stated his desire to acquire Japanese citizenship while seeking leniency. This remark has drawn an avalanche of criticism on social media. The defendant, a Chinese national identified as Mr. Guo, is accused of illegally felling trees from another person's land without permission. During the trial, Mr. Guo testified, "My daughter will be taking university entrance exams in Japan this year. My family and I wish to obtain Japanese citizenship. I want this incident to have no impact on that," presenting this motivation as grounds for a more lenient sentence. According to reports, Mr. Guo departed for Hong Kong the day after the arrest of the individual who carried out the felling. It was also revealed that he had attempted to evade arrest, for instance, by offering a settlement to the victim as the statute of limitations approached. In response to h...