Survey in Japan Finds 7% Admit to Making Defamatory Comments Online

A recent survey in Japan revealed that 7% of respondents had made defamatory comments online or through social media, although more than 50% of those people said that they were unaware at the time that their actions were defamatory. The online survey was conducted by the legal tech service company Bengo4.com in December 2024, aimed at 1,329 of its registered users.

Of the 93 respondents who stated they had made defamatory remarks, 47.3% said they had been aware of this, while 52.7% said they had not.

With multiple responses possible, at 77.4%, the most common type of comment was about “appearance, personality, and character.” Other types included “false statements” (29%), “revealing personal information” (12.9%), and “threats” (11.8%). The legal company’s impression was that “it is a serious situation, with a large number of people doing unexpectedly extreme things.”

The most common motivation for making slanderous posts was “venting” (36.6%), followed by “harassment” (15.1%), and “the other person was slandering me” (11.8%). At 68.8%, the main target of this slander was ordinary people. Famous people were also targeted, including celebrities (17.2%) and politicians (16.1%). Again, multiple responses were possible for both questions.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo © Pixta.)