◆ Consultations regarding illegal and harmful information remain at a high level
According to a report compiled by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications on illegal and harmful information on the internet, the number of consultations received by the Illegal and Harmful Information Consultation Center in fiscal year 2024 was 6,403, continuing the trend of remaining at a high level following the 6,463 cases in fiscal year 2023.
In terms of the demographics of those seeking advice, 85.2% were “individuals,” 8.2% were “sole proprietors,” and 5.7% were “companies or organizations,” with individuals accounting for the overwhelming majority.

◆ Key Points to Keep in Mind Regarding Measures Against Customer Harassment
Meanwhile, starting this October, companies will be required to implement measures against customer harassment.
The Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare’s “Corporate Manual for Countermeasures Against Customer Harassment” cites requests for removal to website operators and requests for disclosure of the sender’s information as examples of how to respond to “defamatory harassment on social media and the internet.” Therefore, it is advisable to familiarize yourself with these procedures in case your company becomes a victim of defamation or has information posted that infringes on privacy.

◆Ministry of Justice Publishes Guidelines
The “Guide to Requesting the Removal of Defamatory Posts on the Internet,” published by the Ministry of Justice on April 15, outlines the procedures for submitting removal requests directly to major providers and server administrators—such as Google, LINE Yahoo, and Meta (which operates Instagram and Facebook)—for each specific service.The guide explains which fields to click on the “removal request form” and which checkboxes to select, and it also includes email templates for removal requests.
It is recommended that you download and save this guide.

[Reference]
“Guide to Requesting the Removal of Defamatory Posts on the Internet”
https://www.moj.go.jp/JINKEN/jinken88.html