Foreign Minister Motegi

 At a press conference on the 24th, Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi commented on the joint analysis by the Yomiuri Shimbun and startup Sakana AI regarding China’s cognitive warfare. He stated that, in general, “competition is intensifying, and influence operations have expanded into the realm of human cognition.” He added that the Foreign Ministry will strengthen information gathering and analysis by utilizing AI.

Motegi also said Japan will promote strategic external communication—actively using social media—so that understanding of Japan abroad is based on objective facts. Regarding the joint analysis, he remarked that it was “an impressive piece of work,” while refraining from evaluating individual investigations.

Defense Minister Shinichi Koizumi also commented the same day, saying, “China conducts information warfare domestically and internationally on a routine basis.” He emphasized that Japan must respond by “identifying the authenticity and intent of information, and strategically and swiftly disseminating accurate information.”