Draft guidelines on measures to mitigate adverse effects on election fairness

The Public Offices Election Act governs the distribution of election-related material. The 2026 amendment also modifies the Information Distribution Platform Act, which regulates certain large online services.

The reform removes rules specific to distributing election material by email and aligns that method with the rules for websites and similar services. Covered online material containing AI-created or AI-altered images or video must disclose that fact. Minor changes and imagery not likely to be mistaken for actual photographs, such as illustrations or animation, are excluded.

Internet users must avoid publicly spreading false statements about candidates or distorting facts in a way that impairs electoral fairness. Designated large specified telecommunications service providers must take appropriate measures to mitigate relevant adverse effects on electoral fairness. The minister is to publish guidelines and these providers must disclose their implementation annually.

Sources: [1] [3] [4]

Members of the House of Representatives submitted House bill No. 26 on 24 June 2026. The House passed it on 26 June and the House of Councillors on 13 July. It was promulgated on 17 July 2026 as Act No. 58 of 2026.

e-Gov records for both amended laws include provisions with dates of 17 July 2026 and 1 March 2027. The overall amendment is therefore partially, not wholly, in force. Official prefectural election-administration guidance identifies 1 March 2027 as the main commencement date.

On 24 October 2026, the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications opened public comment on draft election-fairness risk-mitigation guidelines and a related implementing ordinance amendment. Comments close on 24 November 2026; neither draft is a final binding instrument.

1. 2026-06-24 — House bill No. 26 submitted in the 221st Diet [1]
2. 2026-06-26 — Passed by the House of Representatives [1]
3. 2026-07-13 — Passed by the House of Councillors; enacted [1]
4. 2026-07-17 — Certain provisions effective from promulgation [2]
5. 2026-07-17 — Promulgated as Act No. 58 of 2026 [1] [2]
6. 2026-10-24 — MIC opened consultation on draft election-fairness guidelines and ordinance [5]
7. 2026-11-24 — Scheduled public-comment deadline: Deadline for comments on the draft guidelines and ordinance [5]
8. 2027-03-01 — Main provisions take effect [2] [3]

The timeline of related official records below lists the records this dashboard has matched.

Sources: [1] [2] [3] [4] [5] [6]

Confirmed next steps

• 2027-03-01 — The main provisions are scheduled to commence on 1 March 2027. [2] [3]
• The Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications is to publish guidelines on large-platform measures addressing risks to electoral fairness. [3]
• 2026-11-24 — Public comment on MIC's draft election-fairness guideline and implementing ordinance closes on 24 November 2026. [5]

Expected procedural steps

The usual procedure for this kind of instrument; not a forecast for this reform.

• Affected operators ordinarily review new ministerial guidelines and adapt their controls before the relevant provisions commence.

Outstanding uncertainties

• MIC's 24 October 2026 guideline and ordinance texts are drafts; final requirements may change. The draft guideline says its listed mitigation examples are recommendations, not individually mandatory measures, and it does not directly require deletion of particular posts.
• Whether a particular image or video requires an AI disclosure depends on the statutory conditions and exclusions; the rule does not cover all uses of AI.

Campaign communications providers and agencies distributing election-related material should review whether covered AI-created or AI-altered images and videos require disclosure. This is not a universal labeling rule for every AI-generated image.

The statutory duties to mitigate election-fairness risks and disclose implementation annually concern designated large specified telecommunications service providers, not every website or social-media user. The draft guideline lists recommended examples involving moderation, monetization and AI content controls; these examples are not each a separate mandatory measure.

Points to check

• Identify election-related online material using AI-created or AI-altered imagery and assess the statutory exclusions.
• Prepare review and disclosure workflows for covered material before 1 March 2027.
• If a designated large platform, assess the statutory mitigation and annual-disclosure duties separately from the draft guideline's recommended examples.
• Track ministerial guidance and e-Gov amendment history for implementation details.

Sources: [2] [3] [4] [6]