Latest news with #Saya
Tokyo Weekender
6 hours ago
- Politics
- Tokyo Weekender
A Record 42 Women Win Seats in Upper House Election
Last month, Japan ranked a disappointing 118th for the second successive year in the World Economic Forum's 2025 Global Gender Gap Report, with political empowerment being the country's weakest category. It was, therefore, encouraging to see a record number of 42 female candidates elected in Sunday's Upper House election. The previous high was recorded during the last House of Councillors vote in 2022, when 35 women secured seats. List of Contents: Decrease in Women Candidates in Upper House Election Four Women Elected in Tokyo Related Posts Decrease in Women Candidates in Upper House Election In total, women won 33.6% of the 125 contested seats. However, the number of female candidates dropped from 181 in 2022 to 152 this year — with 102 running from electoral districts and 50 through proportional representation. That represented 29.1% of all candidates, compared with 33.2% three years ago. The government was aiming for a 35% quota for female parliamentary candidates in 2025. Twelve female candidates from the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) were elected, the highest number among all parties. That included Renho Saito, commonly known by her given name, Renho, for what was her fifth reelection. She automatically lost her Upper House seat after announcing she was running for the post of Tokyo governor last year. Incumbent Yuriko Koike won the gubernatorial election, with Renho finishing third. Four Women Elected in Tokyo Another female from the CDP to be reelected was Ayaka Shiomura, who was famously heckled in 2014 with the words 'hurry up and get married' by fellow council member Akihiro Suzuki after she asked about measures to help mothers. She was one of four women to win seven of the seats up for grabs in Tokyo. The other three were Mayu Ushida of the Democratic Party for the People (DPP), Yoshiko Kira of the Japanese Communist Party (JCP) and Saya, representing Sanseito. 'I am really feeling the weight of each and every vote , and I feel a strong sense of responsibility,' said the singer-turned-politician Saya, who only goes by her first name. 'I believe that the real battle for Japan and for the Japanese people will now begin,' she added. Women accounted for five out of the seven seats Sanseito won in the electoral districts. It fielded 24 female candidates, compared to just 22 who ran for the ruling coalition of the Liberal Democratic Party (17) and Komeito (5). Related Posts LDP-Led Coalition Lose Upper House Majority, Ishiba Vows To Continue as Prime Minister Sanseito Explained: The Alarming Rise of Japan's Far-Right Movement Why Japanese Leftists Are Using Melonpan to Mock Sanseito
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Nikkei Asia
2 days ago
- Politics
- Nikkei Asia
Japan election live: Sanseito backs 'Japanese First' policy
TOKYO -- The Japanese public voted on Sunday to determine the makeup of the nation's upper house, in a crucial vote for Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba, whose coalition is fighting to hold on to its majority -- one that it lost in the lower chamber last autumn. The race is set to be very unpredictable, with issues such as inflation, tax and immigration having dominated the campaign. Here are some of our recent articles on this key election: - What the upper house election means for Japan: 5 things to know - Why the bond vigilantes are right about Japan's election - Japanese PM Ishiba has so far failed to resonate with voters - Japan ruling coalition at risk of losing upper house in election: Nikkei poll - Immigration becomes election issue in Japan amid tough economy - Sanseito brings far-right populism to Japan - Japan's rice price shock exposes PM Ishiba to voter anger as election looms Here's the latest: (Japan time) Sunday, July 20 8:45 p.m. Right-wing Sanseito appears to have shaken up this election, and could win more than 20 seats in the chamber. It had just two before today's election. Sanseito candidate Saya, who was elected in the Tokyo constituency, talked on TV about why she thought her party had been successful. "I think us maintaining the 'Japanese First' policy and advocating for the gradual abolition of the consumption tax resonated with voters who are struggling as wage increases stagnate and the cost of living rises." Saya's win comes despite a viral video of her speaking to Russian news agency Sputnik. 8:35 p.m. Hiroshi Moriyama, the LDP's secretary-general, avoided giving concrete comments on TV, saying that "Vote counts are still on going and I would like to refrain from commenting on the nature of responsibility at this time." 8:26 p.m. The ruling coalition is projected to gain between 32~51 seats, according to NHK. Remember they need 50 to keep their majority. The range of seats won for each party is: Liberal Democratic Party (LDP): 27~41 Constitutional Democratic Party (CDP): 18~30 Japan Innovation Party: 6~9 Komeito: 5~12 Democratic Party For the People (DPFP): 14~21 Japanese Communist Party: 3~5 Reiwa: 2~4 Sanseito: 10~22 Conservative Party of Japan: 1~3 8 p.m. Voting ends. The ruling bloc is at risk of losing their upper house majority, national broadcaster NHK projected immediately after polls closed. 7:37 p.m. The latest data on voter turnout is out. As of 6 p.m., the national figure stood at 26.65%, down 0.71 percentage points from the 2022 upper house election. 7:13 p.m. Some errors have been made at polling stations, according to national broadcaster NHK. In Tokyo's Ota ward, 25 voters were handed the wrong ballot sheets. In Saitama Prefecture's Kasukabe city, there was a similar error involving ballot sheets for constituencies and proportional representation being mixed up. The affected votes could become invalid. 7:00 p.m. Just an hour to go now. 6:54 p.m. Japan's lead tariff negotiator Ryosei Akazawa on Sunday told reporters that the election results will not affect talks with the U.S., according to Kyodo News. The upper house vote comes amid Tokyo's continued efforts to reach a trade deal with Washington, which has slapped a 25% "reciprocal" tariff that goes into effect on Aug. 1. 6:30 p.m. Here's a few photos from today: 6:15 p.m. The national voter turnout as of 4 p.m. stood at 22.42%, 0.57 percentage point lower than the previous upper house election three years ago, according to the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. For Tokyo, it was 22.87% -- 2.6 percentage points down. According to government data, an estimated 26.18 million people participated in early voting, a record high and over 6.5 million more than in the previous upper house poll. 6 p.m. Just two hours now until voting ends. Exit polls and projections by major broadcasters will start coming in at 8 p.m., and will be updated frequently during the course of the evening as votes are counted.
Asahi Shimbun
5 days ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Sanseito hopeful supports Japan entering nuclear arms race
An Upper House election candidate from the rising opposition party Sanseito is championing a nuclear-armed Japan, a provocative idea generally endorsed by the party leader. Saya, who is running in the Tokyo constituency on the July 20 ballot, was asked about nuclear armament and the Japan-U.S. alliance on an online program Nippon Television Network Corp. distributed on July 3. 'By acquiring nuclear weapons, even North Korea has become able to talk with U.S. President Donald Trump in the international community,' said Saya, who goes by only one name. 'Nuclear armament is one of the most inexpensive and effective measures to ensure safety,' she said after noting that it is her personal view. Speaking to reporters in Kobe on July 17, Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya said Japan should consider arming itself with nuclear weapons. 'I do not think we should immediately possess them,' he said. '(But) we must not shy away from a discussion.' Japan must first withdraw from the Nuclear Nonproliferation Treaty should it decide to go nuclear. Saya has come under fire on social media not only for her remarks on nuclear armament but also for her pro-conscription comments made in 2023. 'In military service, the educational role played by conscription and what cannot be learned in school education can be taught and experienced,' she said on a YouTube program. Still, she expressed a negative view of immediately restoring the draft. Kamiya asked reporters on July 17 why they questioned the comments on conscription that Saya made before joining Sanseito. The Russian state-owned news agency Sputnik posted a video interview with Saya on social media on July 14. Kamiya demanded a party staff member resign for arbitrarily giving permission for the interview. Sanseito also apologized for Saya's 'inappropriate' action on the social media account X on July 12 after she replied to and thanked a poster who apparently called on others to vote for her and her party in exchange for food and drink. The Public Offices Election Law prohibits provision of food and drink to voters in election campaigns, in principle.
CNA
5 days ago
- Politics
- CNA
'Japanese-first' Sanseito party denies ties with Russia
Sanseito's latest controversy surrounds a rookie candidate known only as Saya, who gave Russia's Sputnik news agency an interview that was then published on its Japanese edition's X account on Monday. Saya's sudden appearance on Sputnik sparked a storm of confusion that fuelled speculation on social media that Sanseito was Russia-friendly. Asked if the party had any special ties with Moscow, Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya told an internet news programme Tuesday: "We don't. Not at all". "Not with Russia, China or America. We don't. We keep balanced diplomacy with any country", Kamiya said. "To say we're pro-Russia just because she appeared on Sputnik ... I think that's just too simplistic", he said. Kamiya attributed Saya's Sputnik appearance to "human error", saying he had no knowledge this was being organised. He clarified that a staffer with no authority had told Saya without prior consultation with the party headquarters that she was allowed to accept Sputnik's interview request. Sanseito's stance on Russia has come under scrutiny before, after Kamiya said Moscow shouldn't be held entirely responsible for the war in Ukraine. "Russia's military invasion was of course bad, but there are forces in the US that drove Russia into doing that," Kamiya said Tuesday. "So I said once that it's not fair to say Russia is the only bad guy here, and then people began saying I'm pro-Russia", he added. Japan's Deputy Chief Cabinet Secretary Kazuhiko Aoki said Wednesday that "Japan is also becoming a target" of foreign election interference through social media and other means, according to local media reports. The European Union has banned Sputnik along with other Russian state media for "disinformation and information manipulation". The news agency has also been sanctioned by the United States.
Asahi Shimbun
5 days ago
- Politics
- Asahi Shimbun
Sanseito hopeful does interview with Russian state media
Sohei Kamiya is the leader of the Sanseito party, which pushes a 'Japanese First' platform. (Asahi Shimbun file photo) The leader of the rising opposition party Sanseito demanded a party staff member resign for allowing an Upper House election candidate to be interviewed by a Russian state-owned news agency. 'I never said it was OK for her to give an interview with Sputnik,' Sanseito head Sohei Kamiya told a TV program on July 15. The Russian agency's Japanese-language service had posted a video interview with party candidate Saya onto social media a day prior. Saya, who uses only one name, is running in the Tokyo constituency in the July 20 election. She discussed why she decided to represent the 'Japanese First' party, among other subjects, in the video. Kamiya said the party staffer arbitrarily gave approval. 'It is outrageous,' he said. The Russian government has been criticized for using Sputnik as a propaganda tool, and the European Union has sanctioned a block on its services for spreading disinformation over Russia's full-scale invasion of Ukraine. Speaking to reporters in Toyama on July 16, Kamiya indicated that he would not call Saya to account for her behavior. 'The problem is that (the staff member) failed to keep with the (party) guidelines,' he said. (This article was written by Ryutaro Abe and Yuta Ogi.)
