Japan's internal affairs minister orders review of deleted chats tied to delayed records releases

Japan's Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications, Yoshimasa Hayashi, said on September 4, 2026, that the ministry will scrutinize whether officials had anything to reflect on after workplace chat messages were used in connection with delayed public-records releases, and that it will take any action the review requires. He also said the ministry would promptly check how people involved at the time understood public-records rules and disclosure requests, while repeating that the chats themselves need not be restored.