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Amid the spread on social media of misinformation in Japan claiming that "seven of Wakayama Prefecture's nine water sources have been purchased by China-related individuals," Wakayama Governor Izumi Miyazaki said at a regular press conference on Tuesday that "the definition of 'water sources' is unclear" and that he regards the claim as "misinformation and disinformation," according to a report from the Yomiuri Shimbun on Wednesday. 

On the internet television debate program For JAPAN Season 3, streamed on ABEMA on June 20, a narrator claimed that "an investigation by a young prefectural assembly member found that seven of the nine water sources in Wakayama Prefecture have been purchased by Chinese individuals or companies backed by Chinese capital."

As this content spread, posts on X featuring the narration scene and claiming that "Japan is doomed" were reposted more than 10,000 times and viewed 1.54 million times, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun.

Governor Miyazaki said that "to prevent the spread of false information, it is important to promptly and widely disseminate accurate information," adding that "what is being circulated is extremely severe, and we would like to properly examine and investigate the matter."

In a previous report on December 9, the Yomiuri Shimbun inquired both the prefectural and national governments with both denying such claims. And the ABEMA program's producer also noted that "the story was somewhat exaggerated, or rather that the narration used overly assertive wording."

In its December report, the Yomiuri Shimbun cited Ryohei Yamashita, an associate professor of Ishikawa Prefectural University and an expert in water resources and regional planning, as saying that even if the term "water source" is interpreted broadly to include water-supply facilities, springs, or river headwaters, no evidence could be found to support claims that there are "nine water sources" or that "seven of them have been purchased by Chinese individuals or companies backed by Chinese capital." 

An official from Wakayama Prefecture's environmental health division, which oversees water utilities, was quoted by the Yomiuri Shimbun as saying that, "it is unclear what is meant by 'nine water sources.' Rivers cannot be bought, and there are no facts indicating that waterworks facilities such as purification plants or wells have been purchased."

The Yomiuri Shimbun also sent a written inquiry to Cyber Agent, the company that operates ABEMA, asking for details of the investigation and clarification of the claims. About a month later, on November 27, the program's executive producer replied, arguing that "it cannot be said that the opinion of the person who provided the information is 100 percent wrong. Since there is no nationally defined standard for what constitutes a water source, claims such as 'nine water sources' do exist."

However, the producer did not address the specifics or veracity of the assembly member's claim that "surrounding land has been purchased," nor did he provide any supporting evidence. At the same time, he acknowledged shortcomings, saying "the narration was problematic." The producer had no plans to delete or correct the content, according to the Yomiuri Shimbun.

Also, the Yomiuri Shimbun contacted all 42 members of Wakayama prefectural assembly who were in office when the program aired to confirm the claims attributed to a "prefectural assembly member" cited by the program as its source. However, none said they had conducted any investigation or had been interviewed by the program.

At the end, the report cited Tsukasa Tanihara, an associate professor of social informatics at Ritsumeikan University, as saying that "Issues involving foreigners tend to attract attention easily online. When consuming information, people should carefully distinguish between what is factual and what reflects the opinions of the person disseminating it."

Global Times