Failed Hyogo Gov. Candidate Side Questions X Account Suspension

Kobe, Nov. 23 (Jiji Press)--The support group for a failed candidate in the recent gubernatorial election in Hyogo Prefecture, western Japan, has filed a criminal complaint with Hyogo prefectural police, claiming that its X, formerly Twitter, accounts were suspended in response to false reports during the campaign.

According to the group, which supported former Amagasaki Mayor Kazumi Inamura, it set up an X account on Nov. 5 ahead of last Sunday’s election, but it was suspended the following day. The suspension lasted until the day before the election.

Another X account created by the group on Nov. 12 was suspended about an hour later. The account remains suspended.

The group believes that the accounts were suspended after several anonymous individuals made false reports of rule violations to the platform operator in order to interfere with Inamura’s campaign. It filed the criminal complaint on Friday.

Susumu Tsukui, a senior member of the group, said at a press conference that the group did not engage in any acts violating the platform’s rules. The account suspensions “had a major impact on the election,” Tsukui argued.

[Copyright The Jiji Press, Ltd.]