In the days surrounding Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s February election win, several dozen X accounts linked to a Chinese misinformation campaign attacked her deeply conservative views and hawkish approach to China, said a U.S. research institute focused on national security and foreign policy.
The 35 accounts, along with nine channels on the microblogging site Tumblr, pushed corruption allegations and portrayed Takaichi as illegitimate and militaristic. The accounts suggest the prime minister is a reckless “cult-backed” leader driving Japan toward war, said Maria Riofrio, a researcher with the Foundation for Defense of Democracy’s Center on Cyber and Technology Innovation.
The accounts, part of a network of at least 327 X and other social media accounts, have since December or earlier attacked adversaries of Beijing or pushed pro-China policy positions, and targeted human rights organizations and sought to influence domestic politics in Japan, the United States, the Philippines and Latin America, according to a new analysis by Riofrio.
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