Menu

[Blog] Pro-Russian Propaganda in Hatoyama’s Tweets

Yukio Hatoyama, the former Prime Minister of Japan, is known for his pro-Russian stance, which he upheld even after the Russian full-scale invasion of Ukraine in 2022. Although pro-Russian propaganda may not be as prevalent in Japan as in some Western countries, it is still discernible in social media, particularly through the activity of certain […]

[Article] The Far Right and the Dissemination of COVID-19-Related Disinformation and Conspiracy Narratives in Japan: the Metapolitics of Kobayashi Yoshinori

Abstract: The initial lack of scientific consensus regarding COVID-19 and public controversies concerning implemented countermeasures have created fertile soil for the circulation of disinformation and conspiracy narratives. Applying a mixed-methods discourse analysis, we examine the use of typical rhetorical strategies and metaphors of conspiracy narratives and disinformation, and we study overlaps with discursive strategies of the […]

[Blog] Lone, but not alone: right-wing terrorism and militant accelerationism in Japan

Over the past few years, the world has witnessed an apparent increase in ostensibly decentralized right-wing terrorist attacks by individuals who appear to act solely on their own behalf (i.e. without receiving instructions or material support from specific terrorist organizations). In response, criminologists have coined the term “lone wolf terrorism” for this strand of terrorism. […]

[Article] “From Y”: A mixed-method analysis of the Twitter Account of Abe Shinzō’s killer

In this article, we conduct a multidisciplinary, quantitative and qualitative analysis of the Twitter account of Abe Shinzo’s murderer. Based on our findings, we argue against the framing of the perpetrator’s motives as stemming from a non-political, personal grudge and instead highlight the relevance of the different layers that make up his ideological beliefs. This research article is part of a larger project that deals with the immediate aftermath of the murder and its repercussions on social media.

[Blog] The Metapolitics of the New Right: “Japan” as a Crypto-fascist Chiffre 

The New Right has truly fetishized Japan. In the past decades, “Japan” has turned into a crypto-fascist chiffre for core aspects of the ideology of the Far-Right. That is to say, by using “Japan” as a code, the proponents of the New Right can publicly express their views and propagate their worldviews without exposing themselves as fascists.

[Blog] Blind on the Left Eye? #kensatsuchō, a Case of Massive Anti-Abe Computational Propaganda?

In an article published in Asia-Pacific Focus Japan Journal, I presented recent academic and journalistic findings that have brought to light several cases of computational propaganda on Japanese social media. Although I couldn’t provide bullet-proof evidence of who was behind this activity, increasing circumstantial evidence allows for the assumption that certain factions of the LDP were behind this.