Tokyo, Nov. 12 (Jiji Press)–Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi makes active use of X, formerly Twitter, to communicate on behalf of the government. The government says, however, that posts from her personal account are not administrative records under the public records and archives management law. No legal provision requires the posts to be preserved, and critics warn that they may not be available for later scrutiny. From the launch of her administration in October 2025 through Oct. 12 this year, Takaichi posted 843 times on X. That is more than two posts a day on average, an unusually high rate compared with her predecessors. Some of her posts are about her private life, while others are made as president of the ruling Liberal Democratic Party. Most, however, concern official duties, including explanations of government policies and legislation, reports on summit diplomacy and messages to the public during disasters. Her most widely shared post since she took office was a photo of herself with U.S. President Donald Trump during his visit to Japan in October 2025. It was reposted more than 55,000 times. In August this year, Takaichi posted a series of messages explaining her government’s measures against rising prices. She also sometimes communicates directly with foreign leaders by replying to their posts on X. Official Govt Positions? Chief Cabinet Secretary Minoru Kihara has said the posts come from a personal account and are therefore not public records. Noriko Ishigaki, a member from the opposition Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan in the Senate, the upper chamber of parliament, which was formerly the House of Councillors, asked in writing whether the prime minister’s posts represent the government’s official positions. In its written reply, the government said the posts were “not from an account operated by the government” and that it was “not in a position to answer.” Takaichi, however, has said of her use of X: “There are times when I want to provide timely updates on government initiatives, and I can also hear directly from the public. It has a certain value.” Her remarks suggest that she sees X as a way to communicate as head of the executive branch. The public records and archives management law defines administrative records as documents “created or obtained by employees of administrative agencies in the course of their duties” and “held for organizational use.” According to the Cabinet Office’s Records and Archives Management Division, posts on X by the Cabinet secretary for public affairs meet this definition, but posts from lawmakers’ personal accounts do not. Trump is another national leader who makes active use of social media. In the United States, the Presidential Records Act requires the president’s posts on official matters to be preserved and managed as public records, even when they come from a personal account. Records of edits and deletions are also kept, and the National Archives later makes an archive of them public. Gaps in Law Hajime Sebata, a professor of Japanese political history at Ryukoku University and an expert on public records management, called it “a gap in the law” that the prime minister’s social media posts are not covered by the public records and archives management law. “We live in an era when the prime minister’s social media posts carry significant political influence. Records must be kept so that the politics of the day can be examined later,” he said. “The prime minister and cabinet ministers hold public positions while in office, so their posts should be preserved as public records regardless of their content.” The law describes public records as “an intellectual resource to be shared by the people in supporting the basis of sound democracy.” It also seeks to ensure the accountability of the state and incorporated administrative agencies “to the public for their various activities in both the present and future.” With the prime minister’s social media posts becoming more prominent, how to preserve and manage them is likely to draw closer scrutiny. END [Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]
