TOKYO -- The dissemination of posts on the Japanese X account of a media outlet affiliated with the Russian government more than tripled in number in 2024 compared with the previous year, an indication that Russia has been intensifying its information operations in Japan.
Some posts appear to originate from Japan and contain disinformation about Russia's invasion of Ukraine, as well as friendly messages aimed at gaining followers.
On May 30, Akie Abe, widow of former Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, posted on X (formerly Twitter) that she met Russian President Vladimir Putin during a trip to Russia. After her post, Russian state-owned news outlet Sputnik thanked her via its Japanese account. The meeting drew significant attention in Japan.
Sputnik's report on Akie's encounter with Putin is just one example of many similar posts in Japan, highlighting the outlet's attempts to influence the country.
Research by Nikkei and Fujio Toriumi, a professor at the University of Tokyo and an expert in computational social science, found that Sputnik posts were reposted more than 1.04 million times on X in 2024, which is over three times the 320,000 reposts seen the previous year.
As of Monday, Sputnik Japan had approximately 167,000 followers, up by around 60,000 in two years, according to the Wayback Machine, which tracks archived website versions.
Sputnik's 12 posts about Akie's meeting with Putin were shared or quoted nearly 10,000 times and received over 12 million views.
U.S. and European authorities monitor Sputnik for spreading propaganda and disinformation aligned with Russian government interests.
In September 2024, the U.S. Department of State sanctioned Sputnik's operator and other Russian state media for global disinformation efforts in collaboration with the Kremlin. The European Union banned Sputnik and similar outlets in March 2022 after Russia invaded Ukraine. As of June, Sputnik Japan's X account is inaccessible in the EU.
In Japan, there are usually no restrictions on accessing websites or social media accounts linked to media organizations affiliated with the Russian government. Hiroshi Yamazoe, a Russia researcher at the National Institute for Defense Studies, said, "Sputnik has become an influential platform for Russia to launch full-scale information operations against Japan."
Sputnik Japan covers a wide range of topics, featuring stories like "Baby king crabs are so cute" and "A fisherman who saved a sea otter is given a pebble as a gift." Articles such as these have been shared or quoted more than 10,000 times.
Inserted among them are messages promoting favorable recognition of Russia's position regarding its invasion of Ukraine and related matters.
In 2024, Sputnik repeatedly denied the Bucha massacre by Russian forces near Kyiv and accused Ukraine of attacking a children's hospital with air-defense missiles. In March 2022, it also alleged Ukraine was developing biological weapons. All of these claims have been contradicted by the United Nations and EU reports.
Nikkei sent a letter asking for Sputnik's views on these posts, but the deadline has passed without a response.
"Russia routinely mixes some falsehoods with mostly accurate information as its traditional tactic of information warfare," said Tomoko Nagasako, a researcher at the Information-technology Promotion Agency, Japan.
An examination of Sputnik Japan's repost activity and follower metrics indicates that the Russian news agency enhanced its information dissemination capabilities around October 2023.
At this point, there was a noticeable shift in posting times; whereas previously content was often shared late in Japan's afternoon on weekdays, from October onward, posts became concentrated in the morning hours.
Posting increased "during times when it is easy for information to spread in Japan," Toriumi said.
The shift may indicate the posting operation is moving from Moscow to Japan, given the time difference. Maiko Ichihara, a professor of international politics at Hitotsubashi University, noted, "It's common to use people familiar with local culture for information operations."
According to Social Insight, a social media analysis tool by User Local, the number of followers began to increase significantly during that period.
Toriumi pointed out that people interested in conspiracy theories, especially topics such as "anti-vaccine," are the ones most likely to share Sputnik's posts.
Sputnik Japan has frequently published content containing anti-vaccine messages, with some posts being reposted or quoted over 5,000 times. According to Yamazoe, the news agency places greater emphasis on disseminating material that may destabilize or create divisions within Japanese society rather than focusing solely on pro-Russian propaganda.
Japan is tightening rules on social media misuse related to defamation and illegal job ads, but there's little debate about regulating information operations. Legally addressing propaganda, apart from fake news, remains challenging.
"Some government-affiliated media outlets that spread propaganda are required to register as foreign agents in the U.S. and are banned or restricted in Europe. In both regions, they are subject to stricter regulations," said Masato Kajimoto, a media sociology professor at the University of Hong Kong. "Japan needs thoughtful deliberation on this matter while upholding the freedoms of the press and expression."
Control by social media platforms is unrealistic.
In August 2020, Twitter implemented a system to label texts posted by government-affiliated media from major countries, including Russia. Following Russia's invasion of Ukraine in February 2022, the platform strengthened the system for Russian sources.
However, according to reports from abroad, the system was discontinued in April 2023 after Elon Musk acquired Twitter, which he renamed X.
Countermeasures to address the issue of information operations in the U.S. have weakened under President Donald Trump's administration. In April, the Department of State eliminated a section dedicated to analyzing disinformation coming from abroad.
"Japan needs to enhance its own measures to combat information operations," Ichihara said.
Information operations can influence elections and other democratic processes. A report released by the U.S. Senate Intelligence Committee in 2020 stated that Russia interfered in the 2016 U.S. presidential election.
"Media organizations include those focused on information operations. Analyzing trends in foreign media is costly, so social support is essential to determine which sources are trustworthy," Toriumi said.
