Tokyo Court Dismisses Yusaku Maezawa Lawsuit Against Meta Over Fraudulent Advertisements

The Tokyo District Court dismissed a lawsuit filed by entrepreneur Yusaku Maezawa against Meta on November 10, 2026. The legal action concerned fraudulent advertisements that impersonated Maezawa. While the court acknowledged that the fraudulent ads infringed upon publicity rights, it ruled against the claim for damages.

The Legal Dispute and Court Ruling

Maezawa filed the lawsuit in May 2024, requesting the removal of the fraudulent advertisements and seeking 1 yen in damages. He intentionally set the damage claim to 1 yen to focus the legal purpose on defining the responsibility of social media operators. This follows an earlier request made by Maezawa in August 2023 for Meta to remove the impersonation ads.

In its decision, the court noted that Meta suspended most of the fraudulent advertisements within two days of recognizing them. Based on this timeframe, the court ruled that Meta could not be said to be at risk of knowingly leaving the advertisements unaddressed. Meta had argued that unidentified posters play a major role in the fraudulent advertisements and maintained that it was impossible to completely identify every fraudulent ad using the image recognition technology available at the time.

Arguments Regarding Platform Liability

The case highlights the ongoing debate regarding the responsibility of social media providers to police fraudulent content. Maezawa expressed concern on X on November 11, 2026, regarding the window of time before ads are removed. He argued that significant access and fraud damage occur within the two-day period before the advertisements are suspended.

Maezawa argued that platform providers should bear some liability for actual losses caused by fraudulent ads. He questioned whether it is acceptable to allow fraud to continue unchecked and suggested that platforms should be liable for actual damages, even if they are not required to eliminate every single advertisement. On his part, Meta argued they do not have a duty to discover and delete every fraudulent ad because identification was technically impossible at the time.

Next Steps

Following the court's decision, Maezawa stated on X that he is considering an appeal. The outcome of such an appeal could potentially set a precedent for how social media operators in Japan are held accountable for fraudulent content that impersonates public figures.