AI-Generated Fake Political Videos Spread During Japanese Election
AI-generated deepfake videos spread on X during Japan's 2026 election, including a video of fictitious elderly women endorsing a politician that reached 1.84 million views. The Japan Fact-Check Center verified the authenticity of disputed videos, while the Grok AI system initially misidentified one video as AI-generated.
What happened
Multiple AI-generated deepfake videos spread on X (formerly Twitter) during Japan's 2026 general election. One video posted on January 28 by an account called "Chudo Reform Alliance Supporter [Official]" showed a large crowd at a street speech rally in Fukuoka's Keigo Park and claimed to show real supporters.
Another deepfake video showing fictional elderly women in a street interview saying they supported politician Sanae Takaichi went viral, reaching 1.84 million views and over 20,000 likes as of February 4. The women in the video do not exist and were created with generative AI.
Reported impact
The misinformation claimed real crowds and real supporters, potentially misleading voters about candidate support levels during the election period.
The Grok AI system initially responded to user queries by incorrectly identifying the Chudo Reform Alliance crowd video as AI-generated, contributing to confusion about video authenticity.
Index analysis
The Japan Fact-Check Center found that the large crowd video was not AI-generated, noting that other video and image angles from the same day confirmed that many people actually gathered at the rally. The center stated that Grok can make mistakes in its judgments.
The deepfake video of elderly women supporters was confirmed to be AI-generated by news reporting, though it originated as a YouTube video before spreading on X.
Governance controls
The Japan Fact-Check Center, an NPO that verifies information on the internet, issued fact-check determinations about the disputed videos on February 3.
Classification
Sources and evidence
This record was researched and written by the Index, based on the following original reporting.