Okada Katsuya Comments on the "Chinese Spy" Rumor

Former Foreign Minister Okada Katsuya of the Center Reform United Party participated in a television program on February 14 and commented on false information such as the "Chinese spy" accusation against him during the House of Representatives election.

On that day, the program analyzed and reviewed the significant impact of social media in this House of Representatives election. Okada previously held important positions such as leader, secretary-general, and vice premier of the Democratic Party. In this House of Representatives election, he ran from the third district of Mie but ultimately lost.

The program mentioned that during the election period, negative rumors about Okada Katsuya, such as being a "Chinese spy," circulated online. He was also subjected to fake videos created by generative AI that evoked his relationship with China.

According to the program's report, the trigger was an interrogation by Okada Katsuya against Prime Minister Takahashi Asako during the National Diet session in November last year, when Takahashi made remarks about the "crisis situation." After that, criticism targeted Okada Katsuya, and photos of his family's business opening in China and meeting Chinese party and government officials in 2024 were used for sensationalism, causing the "Chinese spy" rumor to spread rapidly.

Okada looked at the photo of his meeting with Chinese party and government officials in 2024 and said:

"Why does this make me a spy..."

He continued:

"If we don't establish a relationship with these people in China beforehand, there will be no one to communicate with when a real crisis occurs. People have always said that 'going to China will cost votes,' and going to China will result in various attacks online. This is extreme in a way."

Regarding such online rumors and attacks, Okada expressed concern:

"This can create a chilling effect. If during the Diet session, people think that being tough with Ms. Takahashi will cause problems, then the Diet session itself would be meaningless."

Original article: toutiao.com/article/1857167308591305/

Statement: The article represents the personal views of the author.