Ayumu Matsuyama, the head of X Corp.’s Japanese unit. (formerly Twitter, Inc.), speaks in an interview in Tokyo.
16:23 JST, April 28, 2024
X Corp.’s Japanese unit, formerly Twitter, Inc., will use the social media platform to further distribute Japanese anime and films around the world, the unit’s head said in a recent interview with The Yomiuri Shimbun.
Representative director Ayumu Matsuyama also emphasized that the Japanese company will use AI to devise countermeasures against so-called “impression farming posts” created for money.
In April, X began distributing “Monster #8,” an anime based on the popular Japanese manga “Kaiju No. 8”. This marked the first time a program aired simultaneously on X and on a television network.
Matsuyama said the anime was well received around the world.
“We will continue to distribute Japanese content, including movies, sports and news programs, in addition to anime, which is an asset that Japan can boast of to the world,” Matsuyama said.
Matsuyama assumed his current role in April 2023 after joining Twitter in 2014. He said that X will soon launch an app that will allow users to watch videos on X on smart televisions.
There were approximately 40 million daily X users in Japan in 2023, the second largest in the world after the United States, and an increase of 3% from 2022.
Japanese users spent an average of 43 minutes per day on X from January to March, the highest in the world.
However, disinformation spread on X about the Noto Peninsula earthquake that occurred in January. A system introduced last summer to pay ad revenue based on impressions, or the number of views, appears to have been a contributing factor.
Matsuyama stressed that while advertising revenue sharing will continue, his company will strengthen measures against false information, such as using AI to detect misinformation and tracking and removing unscrupulous accounts.
“We will strengthen our systems and investments at various levels while protecting freedom of expression,” Matsuyama added. However, he did not want to provide specific details.
