Senior members of the nation’s Defense Ministry and Self-Defense Forces have opened accounts on X, formerly Twitter, to counter China’s cognitive warfare by disseminating accurate information quickly.
In an unusual move for Japanese defense personnel, ministry spokesman Kimihito Aguin created his X account on June 26. One week later, top uniformed officer Gen. Hiroaki Uchikura, chief of staff of the ministry’s Joint Staff, opened his X account.
Both accounts have attracted more than 30,000 followers.
They opened the accounts after a series of China’s one-sided claims. In a post immediately after launching his account, Aguin rejected the Chinese Defense Ministry’s criticism of Japan for what it calls a new militarism, stating, “It contains claims not based on facts.” He later posted English and Chinese versions of his comment.
Uchikura has been more restrained, often citing posts from the official X account of the Joint Staff and providing supplementary explanations. His posts include videos of ships and aircraft participating in multilateral exercises and a photograph of a scene in which a letter of appreciation was given to a naval officer who served as a defense attache at the Australian Embassy in Tokyo.
In light of Russia’s invasion of Ukraine, the SDF recognizes the importance of addressing cognitive warfare, which is conducted through disinformation and impression manipulation to influence people’s judgment, steer public opinion and divide society.
“If we just remain silent, even lies can come to be considered the truth,” Defense Minister Shinjiro Koizumi told the Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee of the House of Councillors, the upper chamber of parliament, on Thursday.
While the ministry and the SDF have their official social media accounts and websites, a ministry official said, “Increasing channels to provide correct information is significant.”
“An environment allowing swift responses is also necessary,” with the spread of disinformation accelerating amid advances in artificial intelligence technology, the official added.
Professor Takahiro Tsuchiya of Kyoto University of Foreign Studies highlighted the importance of immediate rebuttals and regular dissemination of information in dealing with cognitive warfare.
“It’s important to keep building a reputation that the information from the Defense Ministry and the SDF is reliable,” Tsuchiya said.
Regarding the efforts of the chief of staff and the spokesman, Tsuchiya cautioned against “carelessly disclosing sensitive information or internal decision-making processes.”