Dappi

Last updated

Dappi (@dappi2019)
Type of site
 Twitter account
Available in Japanese
OwnerEmployee of Ones Quest
URL twitter.com/dappi2019
LaunchedJune 2019
Current statusInactive [lower-alpha 1]

Dappi (@dappi2019) was an anonymous Twitter account that conducted smear campaigns against progressive opposition parties in Japan between 2019 and 2021. During this period, the account posted highly biased tweets designed to discredit and undermine the reputation of the country's progressives while simultaneously praising the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and conservative opposition parties. While active on Twitter, Dappi made a number of false or defamatory claims aimed at swaying public opinion against progressive opposition parties, which led to the targeted individuals filing a lawsuit. In 2021, it was revealed that the account was operated by a company with close ties to the LDP.

Contents

Background

Dappi was active on Twitter between June 2019 [2] and October 2021. [1] During this period, the account posted over 5,000 tweets, [3] mostly praising the LDP [4] and conservative opposition parties such as Nippon Ishin no Kai [5] and attacking progressive opposition parties such as the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) [2] [5] [6] [7] and the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) [5] through false claims and defamation. [8] The goal of the tweets was to sway public opinion against the progressives. [9] The account's profile read, "I love Japan. I hate the biased mass media." [10] Media outlets critical of the LDP were also targeted, [11] and Dappi had criticized what it perceived as biased reporting by The Asahi Shimbun and Mainichi Shimbun , among others. [12]

While operating anonymously, Dappi amassed around 176,000 followers as of November 2021. [10] The account was highly influential, attracting attention from members of the National Diet. [1]

Almost all tweets were posted during regular office hours, roughly between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. JST, and rarely on weekends, leading to speculation that the account was not an individual activity [3] and that there was a coordinated or organized effort behind it. [1]

In July 2020, the Cabinet Intelligence and Research Office responded to a freedom of information request seeking government records related to Dappi by refusing to confirm or deny the existence of such records, citing concerns that doing so could potentially "impede the effective execution" of their duties and "pose a significant risk to national security". According to Newsweek , the wording of the response, which indirectly implied a connection between the account and the agency, further deepened suspicions surrounding Dappi. [13]

The account was deleted by November 3, 2023. [14]

False claims and defamation

Dappi had been criticized for posting highly biased [3] video clips that were edited out of context, [5] creating a false impression or misrepresentation of opposition parties and media outlets: [11]

Revelation and aftermath

In 2021, Hiroyuki Konishi  [ ja ] and Hideya Sugio, members of the CDP in the House of Councillors, filed lawsuits against Twitter and an Internet service provider at the Tokyo District Court, seeking the identity of the entity or individual responsible for Dappi's October 2020 tweet falsely accusing Konishi and Sugio of driving a Ministry of Finance employee to suicide. [16] In September, the court ruled in favor of the two lawmakers and ordered the disclosure of the requested information. [10]

The company behind the account was identified as Ones Quest (ワンズクエスト), an Internet company headquartered in Tokyo. [2] On October 6, they filed a lawsuit against Ones Quest at the Tokyo District Court, seeking damages for defamation. [6]

Ones Quest was engaged in business transactions with the LDP. According to a political income and expenditure report published by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the LDP's Tokyo metropolitan chapter made five payments totaling ¥4.04 million (US$29,100) to Ones Quest between March and August 2021. The report also shows the LDP chapter had expenditures of around ¥780,000 in 2020. [4] There is speculation that Dappi was part of the LDP's efforts to manipulate public opinion online. [10] The LDP has denied the allegations. [7]

Ones Quest later admitted that one of its employees was responsible for Dappi's tweets, but denied any institutional involvement in the account, [17] claiming the tweets were the private activities of an employee and unrelated to company operations. [5]

See also

Notes

  1. ↑ The account ceased activity after retweeting Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga's tweet announcing the lifting of the COVID-19 state of emergency on October 1, 2021. [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Akira Nagatsuma</span> Japanese politician

Akira Nagatsuma is a Japanese politician of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP), a member of House of Representatives in the Diet. Nagatsuma is currently the deputy leader and the head of the Tokyo chapter of the CDP. He had served as the Minister of Health, Labour and Welfare in the Hatoyama and Kan administration. He came to prominence when he reported missing records of public pension plans. A native of Nerima, Tokyo and graduate of Keio University, he was elected for the first time in 2000 after unsuccessful runs in 1995 and 1996.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Kenta Izumi</span> Japanese politician

Kenta Izumi is a Japanese politician who has been the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and the de facto Leader of the Opposition since 30 November 2021. He is also a member of the House of Representatives in the National Diet, currently for the Kyoto 3rd district. He was first elected in 2000 under the Democratic Party of Japan. He served as Parliamentary Vice-Minister of the Cabinet Office from 2009 to 2010. After that, he served as chairman of the National Diet Measures Committee and Political Affairs Research Chairman of the Kibō no Tō, the Democratic Party for the People, and the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Yukio Edano</span> Japanese politician

Yukio Edano is a Japanese politician who served as the leader of the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan from its formation in 2017 until 2021.

Japan does not recognize same-sex marriages or civil unions. Several municipalities and prefectures issue same-sex partnership certificates, which provide some benefits, but do not offer equal legal recognition. Most polls conducted since 2013 have found that a majority of Japanese people support the legalization of same-sex marriage or partnerships, and a 2018 poll found it supported by an overwhelming majority of those under the age of 60.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tadatomo Yoshida</span> Japanese politician

Tadatomo Yoshida is a Japanese politician and former member of the House of Councillors from the proportional representation constituency. He was elected twice, in 2010 and in 2019. He previously served as an Ōita prefectural assembly member.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2017 Japanese general election</span>

General elections were held in Japan on 22 October 2017. Voting took place in all Representatives constituencies of Japan – 289 single-member districts and eleven proportional blocks – in order to appoint all 465 members of the House of Representatives, the lower house of the then 707-member bicameral National Diet of Japan. Incumbent Prime Minister Shinzō Abe's governing coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and the Komeito party retained their seats in signs of what was perceived as weak opposition. The PM won his fourth term in office and held on to the two-thirds supermajority in order to implement policies on revising the war-renouncing Article 9 of the Japanese Constitution.

The Japan Innovation Party is a conservative and right-wing populist political party in Japan. Formed as Initiatives from Osaka in October 2015 from a split in the old Japan Innovation Party, the party became the third-biggest opposition party in the National Diet following the July 2016 House of Councillors election.

Kibō no Tō was a conservative political party in Japan founded by Tokyo Governor Yuriko Koike. The party was founded just before the call of the 2017 general election. The party's ideology was mainly Japanese conservatism and nationalism.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Japanese general election</span>

General elections were held in Japan on 31 October 2021, as required by the constitution. Voting took place in all constituencies in order to elect members to the House of Representatives, the lower house of the National Diet. As the constitution requires the cabinet to resign in the first Diet session after a general election, the elections will also lead to a new election for Prime Minister in the Diet, and the appointment of a new cabinet, although ministers may be re-appointed. The election was the first general election of the Reiwa era.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Democratic Party For the People</span> Japanese political party

The Democratic Party For the People, abbreviated to DPFP or DPP, is a centre to centre-right, conservative political party in Japan. The party was formed on 7 May 2018 from the merger of the Democratic Party and Kibō no Tō. In September 2020, the majority of the party reached an agreement to merge with the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan and the original party was officially dissolved on 11 September 2020. However, 14 DPFP members refused to merge, including party leader Yuichiro Tamaki, and instead formed a new party retaining the DPFP name and branding.

The 2018 Niigata gubernatorial election was held on 10 June 2018 to elect the next governor of Niigata. Incumbent Governor Ryuichi Yoneyama resigned on 18 April 2018 in the wake of a sex scandal. This was also the first gubernatorial election in Niigata since the voting age was lowered to 18.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mio Sugita</span> Japanese politician (born 1967)

Mio Sugita is a Japanese politician. She is a member of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan and incumbent member of the House of Representatives for the Proportional Chugoku Block.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Reiwa Shinsengumi</span> Japanese left wing populist and progressive political party

Reiwa Shinsengumi is a progressive and left-wing populist political party in Japan founded by actor-turned-politician Taro Yamamoto in April 2019. The party was formed by left-wing members of the Liberal Party who opposed its merger with the Democratic Party for the People. The party won more than 4% of the vote after contesting the House of Councilors election in July 2019, gaining two seats only about three and a half months after the formation of the party.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2021 Liberal Democratic Party (Japan) leadership election</span> Political party leadership elections in Japan

The 2021 Liberal Democratic Party leadership election was held on 29 September 2021 to elect the next President of the Liberal Democratic Party of Japan and Prime Minister of Japan. Kishida was elected to lead the party, and assumed the premiership on 4 October. He led the party into the 2021 Japanese general election.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan</span> Japanese political party

The Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan is a liberal political party in Japan. It is the primary centre-left party in Japan, and as of 2024 is the second largest party in the National Diet behind the ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">2022 Japanese House of Councillors election</span>

House of Councillors elections were held in Japan on 10 July 2022 to elect 125 of the 248 members of the upper house of the National Diet, for a term of six years. The elections occurred after the assassination of Shinzo Abe, former Prime Minister of Japan on 8 July 2022. The elected candidate with the fewest votes in the Kanagawa prefectural district will serve for three years, as the district combined its regular and byelections.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Assassination of Shinzo Abe</span> 2022 murder in Nara, Japan

On 8 July 2022, Shinzo Abe, the former prime minister of Japan and a serving member of the Japanese House of Representatives, was shot to death while speaking at a political event outside Yamato-Saidaiji Station in Nara City, Nara Prefecture. Abe was delivering a campaign speech for a Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) candidate when he was fatally shot by 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami with an improvised firearm. Abe was transported by a medical helicopter to Nara Medical University Hospital in Kashihara, where he was pronounced dead.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Hideya Sugio</span> Japanese politician

Hideya Sugio is a Japanese politician who is a member of the House of Councillors of Japan.

On April 28, 2024, by-elections in Japan were held in order to fill vacancies in the National Diet of Japan.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Hatachi, Kota (October 11, 2021). 野党批判を繰り返すアカウント「Dappi」の運営法人? 自民党支部や国会議員が取引、政治資金収支報告書などで明らかに [Operating entity of Dappi, the account repeatedly attacking the opposition: clear connections with LDP branches and members of the National Diet exposed in political funding reports]. BuzzFeed News (in Japanese). Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  2. 1 2 3 「Dappiのツイートは名誉毀損」立憲議員がウェブ関連会社提訴 [CDP members file lawsuit against web company over defamatory tweets by Dappi]. The Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). October 13, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  3. 1 2 3 Schäfer, Fabian (January 15, 2022). "Japan's Shift to the Right: Computational Propaganda, Abe Shinzō's LDP, and Internet Right-Wingers (Netto Uyo)". The Asia-Pacific Journal: Japan Focus. 20 (2). Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  4. 1 2 "LDP chapter paid firm sued over 'defamatory' tweet". The Asahi Shimbun . November 24, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  5. 1 2 3 4 5 「Dappi」裁判、被告企業「ツイートは従業員が私的に投稿」と主張 今回も出廷せず [Dappi trial: Defendant company claims "tweets were posted privately by an employee," fails to appear in court again]. Tokyo Shimbun (in Japanese). February 28, 2022. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  6. 1 2 野党攻撃ツイッター「Dappi」が自民党と取引⁉ 正体はIT企業 ネット工作まん延か [Is the opposition-targeting Twitter account Dappi affiliated with the LDP? The truth revealed: It is an IT company involved in online manipulation]. Tokyo Shimbun (in Japanese). October 13, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  7. 1 2 「ネットと政治」の闇 拡散する誹謗中傷やフェイク、私たちの対処法は? [The dark side of the Internet and politics: How do we deal with the spread of defamation and fake news?] (in Japanese). Tokyo Broadcasting System. October 19, 2021. Archived from the original on October 20, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  8. ↑ Kota, Hatachi (October 14, 2021). 「ご質問のアカウントは全く知りません」自民・小渕氏がDappiとの関係否定。法人とは「HPメンテ以外お付き合いない」 [LDP's Kobuchi denies any connection with Dappi: "I have no knowledge of the account"]. BuzzFeed News (in Japanese). Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  9. ↑ "Japan to crack down on stealth marketing, target all media". The Asahi Shimbun . December 25, 2022. Retrieved June 4, 2023. ... anonymous posts on a Twitter account intended to sway public opinion, such as the Dappi account assailing opposition parties ...
  10. 1 2 3 4 5 "The curious relationship between a popular pro-gov't Twitter account and Japan's LDP". The Mainichi . November 13, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  11. 1 2 Dappiのツイート、誰が投稿? 平日に作業集中、頻出単語は... [Dappi's tweets: who posted them?]. Asahi Shimbun (in Japanese). December 3, 2021. Retrieved June 4, 2023.
  12. ↑ Watanabe, Tsuyoshi (November 15, 2021). なぜ人々は野党・マスコミ批判のSNSアカウントに惹かれる? マスメディアに代わる"疑似環境"を求めるユーザーたち [Why are people drawn to opposition party and media–criticizing social media accounts? People seeking an alternative "virtual environment" in place of mainstream media]. Aera . Retrieved June 8, 2023.
  13. ↑ Fujisaki, Masato (October 16, 2021). 岸田首相はDappi疑惑を放置して衆院選を戦うのか [Will Prime Minister Kishida ignore the Dappi scandal and proceed to the Lower House election?]. Column. Newsweek Japan (in Japanese). Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  14. ↑ "デマ拡散『Dappi』アカウント消える 名誉毀損訴訟で敗訴、岸田首相は調査を否定 「最後まで卑怯」の声". THE CHUNICHI SPORTS (in Japanese). Chunichi Shimbun Co., Ltd. November 4, 2023. Archived from the original on November 6, 2023. Retrieved November 6, 2023.
  15. ↑ Hatachi, Kota (June 10, 2021). 党首討論「哀れな枝野」と拡散の動画は誤り。菅首相の「東京五輪の思い出」が編集され全カットに [Fake video clip circulating online with caption "Pathetic Edano": Prime Minister Suga's "memories of the Tokyo Olympics" completely edited out]. Fact Check. BuzzFeed News (in Japanese). Retrieved June 6, 2023.
  16. ↑ "Web firm asks court to dismiss CDP lawmakers' defamation case". The Asahi Shimbun . December 13, 2021. Retrieved June 7, 2023.
  17. ↑ Dappiの議員中傷 会社側「従業員が勝手に」 地裁口頭弁論 [Company claims "employees acted independently" in Dappi defamation case: District Court holds oral arguments]. Mainichi Shimbun (in Japanese). February 28, 2022.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.