Captured by Scandal of Defamation

Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi still has not get rid of doubts on her to have disseminated video of defamation against other candidates in the presidential election of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in October 2025. Following Weekly Bunshun magazine, Kyodo News Agency reported an interview to the representative of an information technology (IT) firm, who revealed his postings of defamation with consultation from a secretary of Takaichi. Although Takaichi denied asking distribution of the video, the man insisted that he had done it with request of Takaichi’s secretary.

Kyodo reported that a man named Ken Matsui told that he advised a secretary of Takaichi to post negative information of contenders in LDP presidential election, when he was asked about election strategy to overcome the most hopeful candidate at the time, Shinjiro Koizumi. Matsui uncovered a fact that he and Takaichi’s secretary had an online conference on September 25th, 2025, on campaign strategy and they had decided to broadcast video footage to criticize Koizumi and another candidate, Yoshimasa Hayashi.

 

Using software with generative AI, Matsui created 1,000 to 1,500 video footages against Koizumi or Hayashi. They were distributed through 300 accounts in social networking services. Matsui also admitted that he was requested to make campaign video by 50 candidates in the Lower House election in February 2026 and helped 20 out of them. Matsui explained that he had not received any money from them.

 

Bunshun has reported the same story weeks ago. Takaichi denied any relationship between Matsui and her or her secretary. She insisted that she would never make a defamation against the contenders as her policy in elections. But when Bunshun reported an online conference between Matsui and her secretary, Takaichi’s explanation was changed from “I and my secretary do not know him” to “We have not met him.”

 

Through discussions at committees in both chambers of the Diet, Takaichi was requested by opposition lawmakers to reconfirm voice file of conversation between Matsui and her secretary. After listening the voice file, Takaichi answered that she could not identify the voice as her secretary’s one. Takaichi stressed that she has been too busy on further important national issues to examine voice files of unreliable report of a magazine. However, she has not been successful in removing a doubt on her involvement in unfair defamation against other candidates. This issue is related to legitimacy of LDP president and consequently the prime minister of Japan.

 

Opposition parties embraces fundamental skepticism on qualification of Takaichi as the supreme political leader of Japan. They discuss inviting the secretary of Takaichi to the Diet to summon about relationship with Matsui. Although the LDP tries to avoid that option, the leading party may not be able to dismiss it, if the skepticism against Takaichi increases and her approval rate starts declining.

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