Ex-LDP Youth Leader Loses Appeal in Defamation Disclosure Case Against X

The disclosure request was initially granted

Once hailed as a young hope of the Liberal Democratic Party and expected to have a promising future as the 54th Chief of the LDP Youth Division, former House of Representatives member Takashi Fujiwara (41) has lost a lawsuit.

Fujiwara, a former lower house member from Iwate Prefecture, was first elected to the House of Representatives in December 2012. In November 2021, he was appointed Parliamentary Vice-Minister for Finance in the Second Kishida Cabinet. By September 2023, at the young age of 40, he was selected as the 54th Chief of the LDP Youth Division. By that point, he had already been elected four times and was being regarded within the party as a future executive candidate.

However, his career was shaken by an incident at a social gathering organized by the LDP Youth Division in Wakayama Prefecture in November 2023.

At the event, a female dancer in a revealing outfit appeared, and some participants reportedly touched the dancer’s body and handed her tips mouth-to-mouth. The incident came to light in a scoop by the Sankei Shimbun on March 8, 2024. Although Fujiwara, then head of the Youth Division, was present at the event, he failed to stop the inappropriate show and faced fierce criticism, leading him to resign from his post later that month.

On top of that, it was revealed that Fujiwara suffered a stinging defeat in a disclosure request lawsuit against X Corp. (formerly Twitter) over social media posts slandering him.

It began with two posts about Fujiwara on X.

On March 15, 2024, a photo of Fujiwara seemingly dozing off in the Diet was posted with captions like “ZZZ” and “Hobby: watching strip dancers.” Then on March 17, another post ridiculed him, saying things like “Onahole (editor’s note: sex toy)! Fujiwara?” and “Has his brain gone crazy from too many visits to pervy bars? Youth Division’s Takashi Fujiwara? (LOL)”

In response, Fujiwara filed a disclosure request with the Tokyo District Court, claiming these posts infringed on his honor. The request was initially granted, but X Corp. objected. The company filed an appeal against the disclosure order.

Then, on May 13 this year, the Tokyo District Court fully sided with X Corp., overturning the original disclosure order and dismissing Fujiwara’s request. It also ruled that Fujiwara would bear the legal costs — a complete reversal and stinging court defeat for him.

Fujiwara: “Defamation!” vs. X Corp.: “Freedom of Expression!”

At the May 13 hearing, both sides’ arguments clashed head-on.

Fujiwara’s side firmly argued that the posts contained phrases like “Onahole!”, “Hobby: watching strip dancers,” and “Has his brain gone crazy from too many visits to pervy bars?” constituted defamation, presenting false claims about his hobbies and conduct, and significantly damaging his social reputation.

Meanwhile, X Corp. countered that the posts were satire and mockery contextualized by the prior social gathering scandal. Given the tone, context, and anonymous nature of the accounts, the posts would have only a limited impact on Fujiwara’s public standing — if any at all — and could not be reasonably taken as factual statements. X Corp. also argued that political criticism directed at public officials like members of the Diet deserves especially strong protection under the principle of freedom of political expression and should, in principle, be deemed lawful.

The court ruled that the “Onahole!” remark:

“Cannot be understood as presenting a factual assertion.” (from the ruling)

And regarding “Has his brain gone crazy from too many visits to pervy bars?”:

“It is not possible to immediately interpret this as meaning that the defendant’s brain (emoji) has actually gone crazy from excessive visits to pervy bars.” (from the ruling)

However, about the claim “Hobby: watching strip dancers,” the court acknowledged:

“It creates the impression of being a person of undesirable sexual morality.” (from the ruling)

and recognized that it had the potential to harm the social evaluation of Fujiwara as a politician.

Yet, on whether this constituted an illegal act of defamation, the court concluded:

“Considering the nature of the anonymous account from which the post originated, it cannot be said that Fujiwara’s social reputation was lowered to the extent that it constitutes an unlawful act of defamation.” (from the ruling)

The nature referred to here meant the account’s peculiar username and a profile description filled with conspiratorial content. The court judged that such posts could hardly be considered credible, nor did the account show any indication of having personal knowledge of Fujiwara’s private life, thus deeming its reliability low.

How does Fujiwara feel after losing the lawsuit

The court stated:

“It can be said that there are no general readers, or at most only a few, who would genuinely believe the defendant (Fujiwara) voluntarily visited strip shows by female dancers multiple times. Even if the two posts in question caused a decline in the defendant’s social reputation, it would be minimal and does not amount to an unlawful act.” (from the ruling)

Interestingly, the Tokyo District Court did not address in its written judgment what appeared to be one of the most significant points in this trial — X Corp.’s argument that freedom of political expression aimed at members of the Diet should be strongly protected. It seems the court deliberately sidestepped that complex issue.

Now, having lost the lawsuit, what is Fujiwara thinking?
When contacted for his reasons behind filing the disclosure request and his thoughts on the ruling, Fujiwara himself returned the call.

He commented:

“Of course, freedom of expression must be respected. However, when something crosses a certain line — or in this case, far exceeds it — I discuss it with my legal team and respond on a case-by-case basis. I am a public figure, so naturally I set a higher threshold for myself compared to ordinary citizens. Regarding this ruling, I believe it diverges from the general principles of case law, so I intend to appeal and seek a fair judgment.”

X Corp. was also approached for comment on the ruling, but no response was received.

It seems Fujiwara decided to take legal action believing the posts on X would further damage his already battered image following the social gathering scandal — but the result was an unexpected defeat. Having lost both his seat in the election and now in court, this pitiful ending underlines the enduring weight of political scandal in the age of social media.