Overview
- A Nishinippon exclusive published on Monday revealed that RightsFor, a Tokyo-based Aderans subsidiary, paid an outside ad firm in 2019 to post promotional content without labeling it as advertising.
- RightsFor has acknowledged the practice was inappropriate under current compliance standards and said it will delete the undisclosed posts and publish measures to prevent a recurrence.
- The Asahi Shimbun reported RightsFor found about 70 such posts from July–December 2019, saying 63 were removed by December 2019 and seven remain the subject of deletion requests.
- Japan tightened rules in October 2023 requiring clear labeling of paid promotions, and the Consumer Affairs Agency advises companies to correct or delete pre‑2023 undisclosed ads that are still viewable.
- There are no reported enforcement actions yet, but the admission raises reputational risk for Aderans and makes regulatory response and RightsFor’s forthcoming prevention plan the next items to watch.