Hideo Kojima, developer of the Metal Gear Solid game series and Death Stranding, was the subject of social media posts falsely accusing him of being involved with the shooting of former Japanese Prime Minster Shinzo Abe. The accused shooter was arrested after the violent act and has no ties to Kojima.
The famed game developer is now threatening legal action over these false claims. Kojima’s game studio, Kojima Productions, tweeted Saturday that it is considering legal recourse over the false posts.
“#KojimaProductions strongly condemns the spread of fake news and rumors that convey false information,” the studio tweeted Saturday. “We do not tolerate such libel and will consider taking legal action in some cases.”
Abe was shot and killed Friday while giving a campaign speech in the city of Nara, 40 minutes east of Osaka, Japan. Police arrested 41-year-old Tetsuya Yamagami at the scene. He has reportedly been charged with murder.
Shortly after the shooting, people on anonymous image board 4chan began circulating a picture of the alleged shooter, and falsely identified him as Kojima. The false posts spread to other social media sites and news outlets in Greece and Iran reportedly shared the inaccurate information.
Police reportedly are continuing to investigate the motive behind the shooting. Abe twice served as Japan’s prime minister. He held the office for one year in 2007 and again from 2012 and 2020.
