The ruling Liberal Democratic Party on Friday submitted an urgent proposal asking the government to strengthen measures designed to block foreign interference in elections in the country.
Specifically, the proposal calls for enhancing the system to gather and analyze disinformation and misinformation, after foreign actors were suspected during the July 20 House of Councilors election to have been behind the spread of such information on social media.
The proposal, drawn up by the LDP's Headquarters for the Promotion of a Digital Society, was submitted to Chief Cabinet Secretary Yoshimasa Hayashi on Friday.
"If foreign interference is left unchecked, it could pose a serious and immediate threat to the foundations of democracy," the proposal said.
The headquarters calls on the government to strengthen international cooperation, such as sharing information with allies and other like-minded countries. It also urges the government to ensure that social media operators remove illegal and harmful content from their platforms.
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