Nearly 900 alarming social media posts found over Japan's Upper House race
The National Police Agency says a total of 889 threatening posts related to the election were confirmed between June 16 and July 19.
The agency says it identified users who shared highly troubling comments, warned them, and had them delete their posts.
It also says most of the contents were threats to harm politicians and election contenders, such as, "I will shoot you if I find you" or "Watch your back."
The agency adds that many of the posts were replying to social media comments by lawmakers and used slang to avoid direct expressions.
It says it found no cases where someone actually plotted to commit a harmful act. It also says some people made posts while intoxicated, driven by dissatisfaction with politics.
The police agency says the number of alarming posts tends to increase during election campaigns. It adds that it will review the police response and take further steps against radicalized individuals or groups.
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