The ruling and opposition lawmakers Thursday voiced the need to tighten regulations on social media platform businesses in the first deliberation at the House of Representatives' Commission on the Constitution held during the current parliamentary session.
In the meeting, former commission Chairman Yukio Edano of the main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and others reported on a September visit to Britain, Germany and the European Union headquarters in Belgium to study fact-checking measures and restrictions on political advertisements during elections.
Edano said that, in all three locations visited, authorities "had a common understanding that strong regulations are very difficult because of freedom of expression," and that "no clear solution has been presented."
"We need to explore new constitutional theories fit for the internet society," he added.
Tsuyoshi Yamaguchi of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party said that the EU's practice of imposing fines on platform operators "can serve as a reference for Japan."
"Tightening regulations, while considering freedom of expression, is likely inevitable," the CDP's Hiroshi Ogushi said.
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