No bots: Japan drafts rules for social media platforms ahead of local elections

The guidelines also include measures such as requiring operators to establish eligibility requirements and strict screening procedures for users of monetisation features, suspend monetisation when content that harms the fairness of elections is posted, and add warning labels to harmful images and videos generated by artificial intelligence.

The Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications will solicit public comments starting on Saturday before formally adopting the guidelines.

In July, the parliament enacted a revised law on information distribution platforms requiring operators to mitigate harmful impacts and the ministry to issue detailed implementation guidelines. The revised law will take effect March 1, 2027, and apply to unified local elections in the spring, expected to be the next major event on Japan’s political calendar.