Addressing AI-generated disinformation in Japan: challenges, limitations, and prospective policy directions

This study examines Japan’s challenges and approaches to AI-generated disinformation, identified by the World Economic Forum as one of the top short-term global risks for 2026. By presenting specific cases and dissemination channels, it discusses the circulation of such content and highlights the serious threats it poses to the public. The study further explores potential contextual factors that may contribute to the spread of AI-generated disinformation in Japan, including possible collectivistic and uncertainty-avoidance characteristics of Japanese society, challenges in critically evaluating information, the gradual decline in trust in traditional media alongside the increasing use of social networking services, and comparatively low levels of institutional trust. The study then analyses Japan’s existing legal, policy, and technological countermeasures against AI-generated disinformation, emphasising weaknesses, challenges, and areas for improvement. Based on the findings, it proposes specific policy directions for developing more robust future responses and highlights the importance of adopting a more proactive approach that complements existing research-based and reactive strategies to strengthen societal resilience.