Abstract
The gubernatorial election of Miyagi Prefecture took place in October 2025, with misinformation, disinformation, and smears flying around on social media and other platforms, which had a major influence on the candidates' campaigns. In response, several media outlets, including local newspapers, undertook fact-checking initiatives to assess the accuracy and credibility of such information.
This paper first details the misinformation and disinformation that spread during the Miyagi gubernatorial election, along with the media’s responses to it, focusing on two cases: an image titled “14 Misdeeds” that presented unverified allegations about incumbent Governor Yoshihiro Murai—who was eventually re-elected—and “Kaho Q Check,” a fact-checking initiative by the local newspaper Kahoku Shimpo. On that basis, the paper quantitatively analyzes the results of an online survey of 2,000 residents of Miyagi Prefecture to examine the extent to which misinformation and disinformation, as well as the media’s measures against it, influenced voters.
The survey results indicate that more than 70% of those who voted had seen or heard about the “14 Misdeeds” in some form, and nearly half of them reported that it affected their voting decisions. Additionally, nearly 30% of voters had come across articles from “Kaho Q Check” in some way, and half of them stated that these reports influenced how they voted.
