Shizu

Dear @elonmusk, Over the past several days, the Japanese X community has been experiencing a wave of mass account suspensions. We have seen similar waves of suspensions before. However, in previous cases, the affected accounts were generally spam bots or accounts that had clearly violated X's rules. This time, things are different. Commentators, influencers, and people who have used X as a platform for public debate are being suspended one after another, often without any clear indication of what they did wrong. As a result, Japanese users are becoming afraid to speak freely on X. Some have even begun deleting their previous posts out of fear that their accounts may be suspended next. Around August, stricter enforcement of sensitive-content policies drove many Japanese artists away from X. Now, in October, we may be witnessing the disappearance of the very commentators and public voices who have made X such an important platform for open discussion in Japan. If this continues, it could mean the death of X as a space for free speech in Japan. Some of the suspended influencers were certainly outspoken, confrontational, or even harsh in their language. But these are precisely the kinds of voices that must be protected if we are to uphold the principle of free speech that you yourself have championed. Japan's X community has always included people from many different political and ideological backgrounds. They have argued, challenged one another, and sometimes clashed fiercely. But I believe it was precisely this diversity of opinions, and the constant exchange of criticism, that helped prevent us from making serious mistakes. Free speech does not mean protecting only the voices we agree with. It means protecting the right of those we disagree with to speak as well. I am not asking you to protect my political camp, nor am I asking you to restore any particular individual's account. I sincerely ask you to reconsider the wave of account suspensions that began in October and restore the voices that have been silenced. Whatever their political beliefs or opinions, these people were an essential part of Japan's public discourse. I hope that X can once again become a place where Japanese users can express themselves freely, debate openly, and disagree without fear of losing their voices. Please help us preserve the freedom of speech that made X worth defending in the first place.