Deepfake Prevention in Japan: The Growing Threat

Deepfake technology has moved from a novelty to a serious security concern in Japan. Celebrity deepfake ads fuel investment scams worth billions of yen, AI voice cloning enhances traditional ore-ore fraud, and there is still no dedicated deepfake law in Japan. Here's what you need to know.

Japan's Legal Landscape for Deepfakes

Japan currently has no specific legislation targeting deepfakes. Instead, victims must rely on existing laws:

Legal Basis	Application	Limitation
Defamation (名誉毀損)	When deepfake damages reputation	Must prove reputational harm
Copyright Law (著作権法)	When original content is manipulated	Only applies to copyrighted works
Right of Publicity (肖像権)	When someone's likeness is used without consent	Civil remedy only, no criminal penalties
Obscenity Laws	When deepfakes create explicit content	Narrow scope

Tottori Prefecture is leading local regulation efforts, but national legislation remains absent.

The Investment Scam Connection

Celebrity deepfake ads are the number one concern in Japan. Scammers create convincing videos of famous business leaders endorsing fake investment platforms. These ads run as legitimate paid advertisements on Instagram, Facebook, and YouTube, making them extremely difficult for ordinary users to distinguish from real endorsements.

AI Voice Cloning and Ore-Ore Fraud

Traditional ore-ore fraud ("it's me, it's me" phone scam targeting elderly) is being enhanced with AI voice cloning technology. Scammers can now:

• Clone a family member's voice from social media videos
• Make phone calls that sound exactly like the victim's child or grandchild
• Combine voice cloning with caller ID spoofing for maximum credibility

How to Detect Deepfakes

Visual Detection

1. Unnatural blinking — AI often generates inconsistent blink patterns
2. Lip sync issues — Mouth movements don't perfectly match audio
3. Background inconsistencies — Warping or artifacts at the edges
4. Skin texture — Unnaturally smooth or inconsistent skin
5. Hair and accessories — Fine details like hair strands or earrings may glitch

Video Call Verification

When you suspect a deepfake on a video call:

• Ask them to turn sideways — Deepfakes struggle with profile views
• Ask them to touch their face — Hand-face interactions are difficult to fake
• Watch for lighting changes — Real faces respond consistently to light
• Check background consistency — Look for warping when the person moves

Audio Detection

• Listen for unnatural pauses or breathing patterns
• Note if the tone sounds "flat" or lacks emotional variation
• Be suspicious if they refuse to discuss specific shared memories

Prevention Strategies

Protecting Your Identity

1. Limit personal photos on SNS — Fewer public photos means less material for deepfake creation
2. Watermark your images — Makes it harder to use your photos in deepfakes
3. Use privacy settings — Restrict who can see your photos and videos
4. Be cautious with video content — Long videos provide more material for voice and face cloning

Family Protection: Verification Passphrases

Establish a family verification system:

• Choose a secret passphrase that only family members know
• Use it when receiving unexpected calls requesting money
• Share and store the passphrase securely — LOCK.PUB encrypted memos are ideal for storing family verification phrases that shouldn't exist in any messaging app history
• Change the passphrase periodically

For Businesses

• Implement multi-factor verification for financial transactions
• Train employees to recognize deepfake indicators
• Establish voice verification protocols for phone-based approvals
• Never approve large transfers based solely on a phone call

Reporting Deepfakes

Organization	Purpose
Police (#9110)	Report criminal use of deepfakes
Platform reporting	Report deepfake content on social media
Lawyer consultation	Civil action for damages
IPA (Information-technology Promotion Agency)	Technical guidance

The Future of Deepfake Defense

As deepfake technology becomes more accessible, individual awareness and verification protocols become more important. Key principles:

• Verify before trusting — If something seems too good or too urgent to be true, verify through a separate channel
• Establish verification systems — Family passphrases, business verification codes
• Secure your verification data — Store passphrases and verification protocols in LOCK.PUB password-protected memos, not in messaging apps
• Stay informed — Deepfake detection techniques evolve rapidly

The technology to create deepfakes is advancing faster than the technology to detect them. Until Japan passes dedicated legislation, personal vigilance and secure verification systems remain your strongest defense.

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