Shifting ‘balance of power’ and worsening conflicts are driving “profound structural changes” in the world today, said Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in Tokyo on Thursday (October 1, 2026). In a video message that was delivered at the beginning of a foreign policy think tank event in Tokyo, Mr. Motegi warned about the worldwide impact of generative AI and said under these circumstances, responding to disinformation and misinformation have become an “urgent challenge” for the international community.

“The world is currently undergoing profound structural changes driven by shifts in the balance of power and the intensification of conflicts. The widespread use of social media and generative AI has enabled enormous amounts of information to spread across borders,” said Mr. Motegi in the inaugural speech at the International Journalists’ Conference, organised on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Foreign Press Center Japan (FPCJ).

Mr. Motegi highlighted the importance of ‘free, responsible and trustworthy journalism’ that he described as the ‘cornerstone of dialogue and trust in the international community”.

“Under these circumstances, responding to disinformation and misinformation has become an urgent challenge for the international community,” Mr. Motegi said.

Coinciding with its 50th anniversary, the Foreign Press Center Japan (FPCJ) in Tokyo organised the International Journalists’ Conference that was designed to highlight Japan’s strong links with the major political and economic partners in the Global South like Brazil, Indonesia and India.

Speaking on the occasion, Kazuo Kodama, president of FPCJ and former ambassador of Japan to the EU, emphasised the need to resolve geopolitical conflicts and safeguard democratic practices worldwide.

“After two World Wars, we should have chosen a political system based on ‘liberal democracy’ — one that puts into practice the principle that ‘all human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights’. However, in many countries today, citizens feel that their voices are not being reflected in politics and that the ever-widening gap in inequality is failing to ensure equality in dignity and rights, leading to growing criticism of liberal democracy,” said Mr. Kodama.

[The correspondent is visiting Japan as a guest of the Foreign Press Center Japan.]