Japan’s election-era smear campaign is attracting increasing attention. Recently, according to a number of reports in the Japanese weekly magazine Wenchun, during the 2025 election for president of the Liberal Democratic Party and the 2026 election for the Lower House of parliament, the Takashi young seedling camp hired people to produce videos, using social media to spread negative voices from rivals and opposition candidates. The high market team denies this, but the paper insists it has the evidence.
According to the report, during the election for president of the liberal democratic party, the“Real politics” account on the social media platform released three controversial videos one after another between September 26 and October 1,2025, involving Shinjir Koizumi and Lin Fangzheng, who were opponents in the election at that time, and with the words“Incompetent rollover,”“Completely out,” and“Violation of the rules,” Another video repeatedly featured the expressions“Lin Fangzheng is out” and“Koizumi is out” and, under the headline“Violation of the election law,” questioned the process of sending campaign pamphlets.
At the center of the scandal was Takashi’s secretary, Takeshi Kinoshita, who had been in contact with video producer Takeshi Matsui, the magazine said. During last year’s election for president of the Liberal Democratic Party, Matsui said he used artificial intelligence software to generate 100 to 200 videos a day at his behest. Between September 2025 and March 2026, the two sides communicated through text messages and other social media, and he sent a total of 67 messages, these included messages such as“I will upload the video and send the account next”. Reported that the two correspondence records also appear for the opposition candidates Azumi, Ma Yuancheng Fu and other negative statements, and with“Please spread” and other information. In addition, the two sides have held at least eight online meetings. Matsui said on a YouTube program Monday that he started making and distributing such videos about a week before the votes were counted in the presidential election, and had“Communicated with the Secretary of the Takashi Office” before implementing them.
Takashi had previously testified in Parliament that he and his team had“Done nothing of the sort”. She said her secretary had reported to her that she had not produced or distributed the video, nor had she published any smear campaigns against other candidates. “I believe in my secretary,” she said. Some Japanese people questioned the Prime Minister’s statement, and others bluntly stated that if the verdict is reached simply by denial, the social order may lose judicial and law enforcement constraints.
In fact, during the election campaign Shinjir Koizumi camp has also been criticized for network propaganda means. Citing the weekly magazine Wenchun, the Jiji Press, the Sankei News and other media reported that the Koizumi Camp’s propaganda office had sent e-mails to relevant personnel, asked them to post positive comments in support of Koizumi on the video website Niconico Animation. The e-mail lists 24 examples of messages, including“Leading man on stage” and“It’s totally okay to be CEO” and“Don’t lose to commercialized fake conservatives”. Some lawmakers who support Takashi say the content is innuendo and an attack on Takashi.
In this regard, Shinjir Koizumi said at the press conference that there were indeed acts within the camp asking for supportive comments. Although he did not know in advance, some expressions in the message examples were not appropriate, and apologized for this. He also stressed that he was not involved in the arrangements, which were taken on their own by the campaign’s communications office.
On May 23rd and 24th Japan’s Mainichi Shimbun carried out a nationwide poll, the survey showed high city cabinet support rate than April 18,19, the last round of surveys (53%) fell 3 percentage points, down to 50% . This means that high city cabinet support rate has declined for 3 months in a row, and two consecutive months to hit the cabinet since the establishment of the new low. Since the establishment of the Gaoshi cabinet in October last year, the support rate has been maintained above 65% for three consecutive months. Support dipped below 60 per cent for the first time in January, but has returned to the 60 per cent range following the LDP’s resounding victory in the lower house elections in February. After entering March, High City cabinet support rate continued to decline, but still significantly higher than not support rate.
Waseda University researcher Suzuki analysis, although the current regime still maintain a certain support rate, but this support is lack of actual foundation, the subsequent support rate is likely to continue to decline. Discontent within the party is also growing. According to an analysis by Professor Makihara of the University of Tokyo, the problem of inadequate response to the Iranian situation and the shortage of naphtha supply has become more prominent. In addition, during the presidential election, the Takashi camp was exposed to scandals such as slander and vilification on social platforms, these events have led to a decline in the popularity of the Kagoshima cabinet.