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July 01, 2026
 

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FAKE NEWS

Russian President Vladimir Putin meets with his Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, during a welcoming ceremony before talks at the Kremlin in Moscow in May 2025.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 25, 2026
Scarier than fiction: ‘The Wizard of the Kremlin’ comes to life
The objective is not to promote authoritarianism directly, but to corrode the trust that sustains democratic societies and international cooperation grounded in rule of law.
A supporter holds a flag calling for unlimited constitutional powers for Russian President Vladimir Putin, as he stands near the State Historical Museum and the Kremlin wall in central Moscow on June 23.
WORLD / Politics
Jun 24, 2026
Russia’s Wiki warfare tries to distort reality, documents show
Russia’s “Project 2026” wasn’t just to spread misinformation on social media — its main goal to create an alternative information ecosystem.
The greatest threat to the American republic is not any particular conspiracy but a paranoid political mindset that increasingly views opponents as agents of vast and sinister plots.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 17, 2026
U.S. politics is reaching peak paranoia
The paranoid style begins with a simple proposition: The world is divided between good and evil.
A revised election law under consideration would stipulate that "social media users must not harm the fairness of elections" through false statements or factual distortion.
JAPAN / Politics
Jun 14, 2026
Japan eyes responsibility of social media users during elections
The government expects to get the legislation enacted during the current parliamentary session ending in July.
A giant screen shows Chinese leader Xi Jinping meeting U.S. President Donald Trump in Beijing on May 14. China distorts narratives portraying Japan as a military threat while similar dynamics in the U.S. erode truth and accountability.
COMMENTARY / World
Jun 3, 2026
Defending democracy from the global war on reality
From Beijing to Washington, the very concept of objective truth feels unattainable
Liberal Democratic Party lawmaker Ichiro Aisawa (right) addresses a meeting of a cross-party council on election campaigning held in a parliamentary building on Thursday.
JAPAN / Politics
May 15, 2026
Japan to order social media operators to combat misinformation in elections
Actions expected to be taken by social media operators include halting reward payments to users and improving their capacity to respond to content deletion requests.
There are no approved vaccines or known cures for the hantavirus, which is usually spread from infected rodents and can cause respiratory and cardiac distress as well as hemorrhagic fever.
WORLD / Science & Health
May 9, 2026
Hantavirus scare revives COVID-era conspiracy theories
The misinformation resurged even as the World Health Organization insisted there was minimal risk to the general public from passengers of the MV Hondius.
Authorities are concerned that the spread of baseless information in the case of Yuki Adachi, whose father was arrested after the boy's body was found this month, could impede police investigations.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Apr 25, 2026
Kyoto police warn of misinformation in case of arrested father and dead boy
Authorities are concerned that such baseless information circulating on social media could impede their investigation.
Immediately after a magnitude 7.7 quake off the Sanriku coast of northeastern Japan on Monday, many posts on X claimed the temblor was artificial.
JAPAN
Apr 23, 2026
Misinformation spreads on social media after northeastern earthquake
Many posts on X, formerly known as Twitter, claimed that the temblor was artificial.
A giant screen broadcasts news showing Chinese President Xi Jinping shaking hands with Cheng Li-wun, chairperson of Kuomintang, Taiwan's largest opposition party, at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on April 10.
ASIA PACIFIC / Politics / FOCUS
Apr 17, 2026
China’s information war turns Taiwan’s own voices against it
Taiwan’s defense ministry said it is countering a massive increase in Chinese “cognitive warfare.”
A young boy wearing an astronaut costume cheers next to a woman waving a flag as they watch a live broadcast of the return of the Artemis II crew members to Earth at the San Diego Air and Space Museum during a watch party for the crew's splashdown in the Pacific Ocean, in San Diego on Friday.
WORLD / Science & Health
Apr 11, 2026
Artemis II lunar mission draws flood of conspiracy theories
Hashtags such as “fake space” and “fake NASA” have gained traction online since NASA’s lunar fly-by sent astronauts farther from Earth than any human before.
Texas State Rep. James Talarico, who won the Democratic nomination for the U.S. Senate in the Texas primary election, greets supporters after speaking at his victory party in Austin, Texas, on March 4.
WORLD / Politics
Mar 30, 2026
AI deepfakes blur reality in 2026 U.S. midterm campaigns
Politics experts worry such videos could leave voters confused, or even deceived.
Around 44.0% of survey respondents said they used newspapers and magazines as well as television and radio programs to confirm the authenticity of information.
JAPAN
Mar 7, 2026
Nearly 70% of Japanese suspect disinformation is spreading online
The result suggests that concern about the manipulation of information by foreign countries is growing in the country.
A spokesperson for Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi said her office is aware of suspicious foreign social media accounts that have posted content related to Japan's elections.
WORLD
Feb 26, 2026
Chinese influence operations target Japan poll and Trump: U.S. foundation
The 35 accounts pushed corruption allegations and portrayed Takaichi as illegitimate and militaristic.
A university survey has found that about 80% of voters who encountered false information spread during the campaign for the Feb. 8 general election perceived it as true.
JAPAN
Feb 18, 2026
Survey finds false info perceived as true by many voters in Feb. 8 election
The online survey was conducted by Toyo University professor Morihiro Ogasawara from the night of Feb. 8 to Feb. 10.
Some AI-generated content is easy to spot as fake and is marked as such, but others are convincing enough that anyone scrolling through social media could easily be misled.
JAPAN / Politics / FOCUS
Feb 7, 2026
In Japan, generative AI takes fake election news to new levels
Leaders of a new Japanese political party unveil a logo that features China, a candidate campaigns in freezing weather wearing tank tops and grannies vent in public — or do they?
Backdropped by posters with images of Renee Good and Alex Pretti, the two U.S. citizens recently shot and killed by federal immigration officers, a resident of Minneapolis mans a corner to keep an eye out for ICE agents near a school where some students were recently arrested in Minneapolis, Minnesota, on Thursday.
WORLD / Politics
Feb 1, 2026
‘Misrepresent reality’: AI-altered shooting image surfaces in U.S. Senate
The gaffe underscores how AI visuals are seeping into everyday discourse, sowing confusion and influencing political debate at the highest levels.
Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara speaks during a news conference on Wednesday at the Prime Minister’s Office.
JAPAN / Crime & Legal
Jan 7, 2026
Government spokesperson warns of fake video misusing his image
The fake video of Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara had solicited investments for a fictitious project.
French President Emmanuel Macron and his wife, Brigitte Macron, at the Elysee Palace in Paris on Dec. 8
WORLD / Crime & Legal
Jan 5, 2026
French court to deliver verdict over cyber harassment of Brigitte Macron
The accusations involve spreading false information about the first lady’s gender.
New research shows AI chatbots are becoming more persuasive by overwhelming users with information, regardless of the accuracy, increasing the risk of political misinformation.
COMMENTARY / World
Jan 2, 2026
AI Is getting dangerously good at political persuasion
The trick is using a debating tactic known as Gish galloping, a rapid-style speech tactic in which one interlocutor bombards the other with a stream of facts and stats.
Uruguay federation reportedly cancels charter flight after World Cup exit
Uruguay's Jose Maria Gimenez reacts after the team's loss against Spain at the 2026 FIFA World Cup on Friday.
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
India’s gig workers pay the price for exposure to New Delhi’s hazardous air
Rohit Kushwaha waits for a customer as he delivers his last parcel of the day, in New Delhi in January. His work as a delivery driver has helped pay the family’s bills, but has had a significant impact on his health.
Life inside Japan’s largest prison for women
Western-style rooms spanning the size of four tatami mats with hardwood floors, a toilet and soft mattresses on bed frames are designated for foreign nationals and those with health conditions at Tochigi Prison.
Yen hits 40-year low against the dollar, breaking ¥162 level
Japan's currency broke ¥162 to the dollar on Tuesday in Tokyo.
Japan’s fertility system offers few safe paths for same-sex couples
A Tokyo Pride parade participant holds a sign that says "we want to be a married couple, not a couple."
Inside Japan’s rigid adoption system, a British family finds a way
James Benstead, his wife, Jesse, and their three children. Their adopted son is in the rear stroller.
A French ship with close ties to Japan combines arts and sciences on the high seas
Romain Troublé, the executive director of Tara Ocean Foundation, speaks to visitors aboard the Tara during a rare port call in Tokyo in April.
In Kyushu’s far south, Senti.U sparks a culinary destination
Chef Yasuhiko Uchida was born in Saga Prefecture but has made his home in Kanoya, Kagoshima Prefecture, since 2012.
‘The colors speak for themselves’: How Japan’s chroma bible went global
“A Dictionary of Color Combinations” is meant to function as a quick-reference guide for artists, designers and anyone with a passing interest in aesthetics as a quantifiable pursuit.

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