World undergoing profound structural changes: Japan Foreign Minister Motegi

Shifting ‘balance of power’ and worsening conflicts are driving “profound structural changes” in the world today, said Japanese Foreign Minister Toshimitsu Motegi in Tokyo on Thursday (October 1, 2026). In a video message that was delivered at the beginning of a foreign policy think tank event in Tokyo, Mr. Motegi warned about the worldwide impact of generative AI and said under these circumstances, responding to disinformation and misinformation have become an “urgent challenge” for the international community.

“The world is currently undergoing profound structural changes driven by shifts in the balance of power and the intensification of conflicts. The widespread use of social media and generative AI has enabled enormous amounts of information to spread across borders,” said Mr. Motegi in the inaugural speech at the International Journalists’ Conference, organised on the occasion of the 50th anniversary of the Foreign Press Center Japan (FPCJ).