The Central News Agency (CNA) reported Tuesday that Taiwan’s national security agencies have been following a post containing fabricated information accusing Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi of accepting bribes to push pro-Taiwan policy. Preliminary assessments from Taiwanese authorities indicate the operation most likely originated from the PLA’s Information Support Force. 

The post, published under the title “Leaked emails related to Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi” by a user named “Samurai,” began circulating on a dark web forum this past Sunday. It alleges that Taiwan’s former Representative to Japan Frank Hsieh (謝長廷) gave Takaichi millions of dollars’ worth of pearls, gold, and other valuables. The post included a forged document suggesting that when Takaichi was a Diet member, she had emailed her staff instructing them to “safeguard” expensive jewelry given to her by Hsieh. 

Investigators noted that the post follows familiar patterns seen in previous disinformation operations, including those targeting Taiwanese officials, and shows a high level of coordinated action between Chinese cyber forces and state media. Investigators believe the post was made with the intent to manipulate the narrative surrounding Taiwan and Japan and to divert attention from Beijing’s current predicament handling Japan-related issues.

The Taiwan FactCheck Center has clarified that the claim originated from a fake document on an anonymous forum. In addition, analysis by Japanese language experts revealed that the wording in the attached document does not conform to the conventions of official Japanese documents and exhibits clear “Chinese-style Japanese” characteristics. Finally, Japan’s mainstream media have not reported on the matter, further undermining its credibility.