Online public opinion in Japan manipulated to promote right-wing views, stoke anti-China sentiment

TOKYO, Dec. 25 (Xinhua) -- Japan's major crowdsourcing platform CrowdWorks has recently been exposed for long-term posting of online recruitment notices offering paid work to produce short videos that "criticize China," drawing widespread attention and controversy.

As more details have come to light, an outsourced chain for manipulating online public opinion has gradually emerged, ranging from the spread of hate speech to the promotion of right-wing political figures. Japanese netizens are questioning whether political forces are deliberately manipulating online public opinion behind the strong conservative atmosphere on Japanese social media.

Since late November, multiple recruitment posts on the CrowdWorks website have attracted attention. These posts solicit video creators to produce content themed around "praising Japan" and "criticizing China," including footage highlighting so-called "disruptive and uncivilized behavior by Chinese people," and each video is paid 2,000 to 4,000 yen (about 12.8 to 25.6 U.S. dollars).

In addition, there are posts openly recruiting creators to produce "commentary videos" on well-known figures such as Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi and current affairs, encouraging long-term part-time participation with promises of pay raises or promotions after more than one month of continued work.

The recruitment notices have sparked an outcry among Japanese netizens. Many criticized the posts on social media as "deliberate manipulation of public opinion" and "infuriating," questioning whether CrowdWorks has become a "right-wing opinion manufacturing machine" and asking where the platform's sense of ethics lies.

Under the hashtag "Protest CrowdWorks," numerous users called for a thorough investigation into the platform's practices. Some also questioned the broader online environment, suggesting that this might explain why Takaichi, despite having few notable policy achievements, has received considerable online support since taking office.

Earlier this year, Tokyo Broadcasting System (TBS) aired a program in March that analyzed, through specific cases, the interest chain behind CrowdWorks recruiting individuals to produce videos for what it described as "problematic politicians." The program interviewed a university student who had accepted such video-making jobs. The student admitted, "I don't actually think that way myself, but I ended up doing it anyway, since I was treating it as a job. Some clients would say, 'The truth doesn't matter -- just make it more sensational.'"

Commenting on Japan's current online environment, some media professionals noted that when the production, dissemination, and feedback of online content become tasks that can be outsourced, and when content creation, likes, and positive comments are based on compensation rather than recognition, online public opinion will stray far from the truth, becoming distorted and manipulated by those commissioning the work and by hidden special interests.

In fact, CrowdWorks has close ties with the Japanese government, which is led by a conservative party. According to its official website, the platform counts government bodies such as Japan's Ministry of Economy, Trade and Industry among its clients.

Japan's Mainichi Shimbun recently reported that during the 2024 Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) presidential election, Takaichi's campaign team spent 83.84 million yen on publicity. In the lead-up to the 2025 LDP presidential race, Takaichi received "overwhelming support" on social media platforms. Citing statistics from a Japanese data analysis firm, the newspaper said that during the election period, 58 percent of the posts on social media about Takaichi were positive, while only 3 percent were negative -- an anomaly that has raised further questions. (1 U.S. dollar equals 156.0 Japanese yen)