Why G7 Solo Footage Sparked Political Backlash Against Japan’s Prime Minister Takaichi

G7 lonely image spread on social media

A boomerang effect for Prime Minister Sanae Takichi (65)――.

Allegations that, during last year’s Liberal Democratic Party presidential election and this year’s House of Representatives election, the Takichi camp engaged in negative campaigning against rival candidates. While the prime minister’s secretary—considered a key figure—denies involvement, it is undeniable that it had some influence on the outcome of the presidential election and the ruling party’s landslide victory in the lower house election. SNS has become such an effective communication tool in modern society.

However, Prime Minister Takichi is now herself being subjected to the effects of negative campaigning.

Footage of Prime Minister Takichi appearing to be out of sync at the G7 Summit held in France on June 16 (Japan time) is being widely circulated on social media.

The meeting was attended by leaders of various countries, including U.S. President Donald Trump, French President Emmanuel Macron, U.K. Prime Minister Keir Starmer, and Italian Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni. In the circulated videos, Takichi is seen sitting alone at a roundtable venue, apparently before the start of the meeting.

In another scene, while the leaders are standing around the roundtable chatting, Takichi is seen spinning a swivel chair. In other clips, she smiles and speaks to President Trump, but is ignored; she also speaks to Prime Minister Meloni without an interpreter, but the conversation does not seem to go well.

In the most striking scene, when the leaders gather outdoors, Macron is seen shaking hands and talking with other leaders. Takichi, standing in between, smiles and moves her mouth as if speaking, seemingly creating a situation where she appears to be part of the conversation between the two—an act some online users have mocked as air conversation.

While Prime Minister Takichi has become an easy target for ridicule, it should be noted that the circulated footage consists of selectively edited clips.

In fact, in an article published on June 18 by “FNN Prime Online,” a journalist who accompanied the coverage provided a verification of the lonely diplomacy narrative:

“Based on on-site reporting, this is actually the opposite of reality. Prime Minister Takichi actively approached various world leaders during free time to communicate. Similar behavior has been observed on previous overseas trips as well.”

The report also states that she often led discussions, with leaders such as U.K. Prime Minister Starmer reportedly nodding deeply in agreement.

Appointed cabinet Public Relations Officer in January this year

A Nagatachō political source commented:

“The content being circulated is basically a negative campaign against Prime Minister Takaichi, isn’t it? Around the time of the lower house election, there were mostly flattering videos of the Prime Minister, but recently it’s the opposite. There are more videos highlighting suspicious behavior by the Prime Minister and questioning her qualifications. It’s essentially impression manipulation. In other words, a reverse negative campaign is being carried out against her. However, as long as allegations regarding her own involvement in negative campaigning are not cleared up, she cannot really protest.”

The one now working hard to contain the situation on behalf of the Prime Minister is the Cabinet Public Relations Officer’s X account.

On May 1, the account stated:

“We aim to more flexibly and timely share the Prime Minister’s activities and appearance from a closer perspective.”

It began a trial phase of sharing the Prime Minister’s movements and behind-the-scenes stories. The person behind the account is Cabinet Public Relations Officer Kozo Saeki (51). With over 100,000 followers, it began full official operation as an account on June 1.

According to the same Nagatachō source:

“Saeki is a talented figure who was appointed at age 42 as a prime ministerial executive secretary during the administration of Shinzo Abe. He mainly worked as Abe’s speechwriter. He became Cabinet Public Relations Officer in the Takaichi Cabinet in January this year, and from the Prime Minister’s perspective, the aim is likely to more widely communicate her message to the public through press briefings and related activities.”

Looking at the account, it posts numerous photos of the Prime Minister interacting with world leaders, almost as if to dispel the ‘lonely G7’ narrative. From June 19, it launched a three-part series titled “Outcomes Document Series of Prime Minister Takaichi’s Participation in the G7 Summit,” actively promoting diplomatic achievements on her behalf.

Political commentator Harumi Arima told this site in an interview:

“For Prime Minister Takaichi, diplomacy is seen as a way to gain public approval points. That is why she is likely using the Cabinet Public Relations Officer’s X account to continuously post scenes of meetings with foreign leaders in order to showcase her activities.”

While the account serves to present the Prime Minister’s work domestically and internationally, it may eventually also take on the role of countering media reports and unverified social media narratives. Although the Prime Minister also actively uses X, care must be taken to ensure communication does not become one-sided.