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The Independent
7 hours ago
- Politics
- The Independent
Anti-vaxxers inspired by Trump and Reform UK make big gains in Japan
The once-fringe far-right Sanseito party emerged as one of the biggest winners in Sunday's upper house election in Japan, capitalising on voter discontent as prime minister Shigeru Ishiba's coalition lost its majority. The ruling Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito won only 47 of the 125 contested seats in the House of Councillors, missing their goal of 50 required to retain control. Their combined strength in the 248-seat chamber shrunk to 122, down from 141 earlier. Despite this setback, Ishiba says he is not resigning, vowing to focus on trade negotiations with Donald Trump amid rising public frustration over soaring prices and US tariffs. His position, analysts say, is made more precarious by the fact he has already lost control of the more influential lower house in last year's election, and LDP are now ceding ground to traditionally fringe opposition parties campaigning on right-wing messages such as big tax cuts and stricter immigration controls. Sanseito secured 14 seats in the upper house compared to just one in the last election three years ago. In the more influential lower house, it currently has three seats. The rapid ascent of the party, modelled on populist movements abroad, marks a dramatic shift in Japanese politics. Its improved strength in the upper house gives Sanseito a louder national platform, which it is likely to employ to push its anti-immigration, anti-globalist agenda more aggressively. 'The LDP has turned from right-wing to a centrist position. So there is a vacuum in the ideological spectrum,' Yu Uchiyama from Tokyo University's Advanced Social and International Studies department, explains to The Independent. ' Sanseito has successfully taken the vacuum.' The origins of Sanseito The rise of Sanseito from a largely online fringe group in 2020 to a political force shows its ability to tap into growing public discontent. After initially gaining attention with its anti-vaccine and anti-masking views during the Covid pandemic – a former leader labelled Covid vaccines a 'lethal weapon' – the party rebranded with a 'Japanese First' platform focused on overtourism, economic stagnation and anti-immigration sentiment. Although the party has toned down its rhetoric since, its leadership has continued to echo what have been called conspiracy theories around public health, according to The Asahi Shimbun. As foreign workers and tourists have risen sharply in number in recent years, Sanseito has leveraged public anxieties around national identity, security, and inflation to gain wider traction, advocating stricter controls on immigration, stronger defence policies, and economic reforms. 'The phrase 'Japanese First' was meant to express rebuilding Japanese people's livelihoods by resisting globalism,' Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya, 47, told local broadcaster Nippon Television after the election. 'We were criticised as being xenophobic and discriminatory. The public came to understand that the media was wrong and Sanseito was right. We are gradually increasing our numbers and living up to people's expectations. By building a solid organisation and securing 50 or 60 seats, I believe our policies will finally become reality,' he said. How do Sanseito's gains impact LDP? Sanseito's rise is damaging the LDP by pulling away many of its core conservative voters. Analysts say some LDP supporters feel the prime minister is too moderate and lacks the strong nationalist views of former leader Shinzo Abe. They cite examples such as recent legislation to promote awareness of LGBT+ rights and issues. 'Prime minister Ishiba is considered not conservative enough by many supporters of the former prime minister Abe,' Jeffrey Hall, a lecturer in Japanese Studies at Kanda University of International Studies, told the BBC. 'They think that he just does not have the nationalistic views on history, he doesn't have the strong views against China that Abe had.' The result is not just fewer seats for the LDP, but a challenge to its position as the main voice for the Japanese right, analysts say. It also signals growing unrest within the conservative base, making it harder for the LDP to maintain unity and control. 'The political situation has become fluid and could lead to a leadership change or the reshuffling of the coalition in the coming months, but prime minister Shigeru Ishiba will likely stay to complete the tariff negotiations with the US for now,' says Norihiro Yamaguchi, lead Japan economist for Oxford Economics. In spite of its big gains, the road ahead for Sanseito remains difficult. The party lacks the 20 seats needed to submit budget bills, for instance, thereby limiting its direct influence on legislation. Who is Sanseito leader Sohei Kamiya? Kamiya is the unlikely face of Japan's populist right. As the head of Sanseito, the onetime supermarket manager and English teacher has built a loyal following online, where his videos blend nationalist rhetoric, conspiracy theories, and sharp attacks on the political elite. He was formerly a member of the LDP and received support from Abe in the 2012 election, though he lost. He went on to launch Sanseito in 2020 and became its first and only elected lawmaker in 2022. A former military reservist, Kamiya admires US president Donald Trump and often targets political and financial elites in his speeches. His campaign gained wide traction through social media thanks to coordinated messaging and provocative statements such as calling gender equality policies a mistake and warning that Japan risked becoming a 'colony' under globalist influence. As votes were counted on Sunday, Sanseito leaders, including Kamiya, used their media appearances to defend the party's contentious 'Japanese First' slogan and push back against accusations of xenophobia. Kamiya claimed that the slogan was 'about standing up against globalism and protecting the lives of Japanese citizens'. 'The notion that people who want to discriminate and kick foreigners out are flocking to Sanseito is, I think, a little wrong. We aren't that kind of party,' he said. Kamiya, whose upper house seat is secure until 2028, did not stand in Sunday's election. To soften his image and appeal beyond the party's core base of young men, he fielded several female candidates in the latest election, including the singer Saya, who won a seat in Tokyo. What worked for Sansieto? Kamiya has openly looked to Germany's AfD and Reform UK as models for how a populist party might thrive in Japan. Unlike in the US and Western Europe, populism had struggled to gain a foothold in the East Asian nation – until now. Like other opposition parties, Sanseito campaigned on tax cuts and more generous child benefits, proposals that worried investors already concerned about Japan's massive public debt. Prof Uchiyama notes that Sanseito's platform may appear ideologically inconsistent at first glance, blending right-wing nationalist rhetoric with left-leaning economic promises like greater child support. 'It's certain that Sanseito's platform seems to lack coherence. Actually their slogan 'Japanese First' is that of right-wing populists, while their expansionist fiscal policy is that of left-wing populists. However, Sanseito insists that cash handouts should be limited to those with Japanese citizenship. In this point, there is sort of coherence,' he tells The Independent. What really set Sanseito apart during the campaign was its powerful digital strategy and ability to tap into online discontent. Leveraging its more than 400,000 YouTube subscribers – nearly three times that of the LDP – the party built an influential platform to directly challenge the political establishment. 'It seems that those who supported Abe's right-wing LDP have now turned to Sanseito because the LDP under Fumio Kishida and Ishiba has got close to the centrist position. Besides, Sanseito effectively utilised SNS and YouTube,' Prof Uchiyama says, referring to social networking services. 'Voters who mainly get political information by SNS and YouTube are more likely to support Sanseito than voters who don't.' This strong online presence allowed the party to amplify its message, reach disillusioned conservative voters and spread its rhetoric far more effectively than its rivals. Sanseito's hardline stance on immigration has already nudged the country's political discourse further right, prompting the government to declare a crackdown on crimes by foreigners and pledge 'zero illegal foreigners' just days before the upper house election. The rise of revisionist parties presents a significant threat to Japan's democratic discourse and foreign policy, Uchiyama tells The Independent. 'I am afraid the rise of such parties poses a great risk to Japan's democracy. There are now many people in Japan who believe fake news and conspiracy theories,' he says. 'It will undermine democratic norms that are necessary to keep our polity healthy.'
Free Malaysia Today
14 hours ago
- Business
- Free Malaysia Today
Japan PM's future in doubt after election debacle
Shigeru Ishiba's LDP party coalition, which has governed almost continuously since 1955, lost its upper house grip after failing to secure 50 seats. (AP pic) TOKYO : Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's future was unclear Monday after his coalition appeared to have disastrously lost its upper house majority in elections that saw strong gains by a right-wing populist party. The Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), which has governed almost continuously since 1955, and its partner Komeito had to win 50 seats in Sunday's vote but they secured only around 41, according to local media projections. Voters angry at inflation turned to other parties, notably the 'Japanese first' Sanseito, which made strong gains with its 'anti-globalist' drive reminiscent of US President Donald Trump's agenda. The debacle comes only months after Ishiba's coalition also lost its majority in the lower house, suffering the LDP's worst result in 15 years. Ishiba, 68, a self-avowed policy 'geek' seen as a safe pair of hands when he won the LDP leadership in September — on his fifth attempt — was tight-lipped late Sunday about his future. 'It's a difficult situation, and we have to take it very humbly and seriously,' Ishiba told broadcaster NHK. Asked about his future, he said only that he 'cannot speak lightly of it'. 'We can't do anything until we see the final results, but we want to be very aware of our responsibility,' Ishiba added. If he goes, it was unclear who might step up as the LDP's 11th premier since 2000 now that the government needs opposition support in both chambers. 'Ishiba may be replaced by someone else, but it's not clear who will be the successor,' Hidehiro Yamamoto, politics and sociology professor at the University of Tsukuba, told AFP. Rice price After years of stagnant or falling prices, consumers in the world's fourth-largest economy have been squeezed by inflation since Russia's 2022 invasion of Ukraine. In particular, the price of rice has doubled, squeezing many household budgets despite government handouts. Voter Hisayo Kojima — one of legions of older people in Japan's falling and ageing population — said outside a voting station on Sunday that her pension 'is being cut shorter and shorter'. 'We have paid a lot to support the pension system. This is the most pressing issue for me,' the 65-year-old told AFP in Tokyo. Not helping is lingering resentment about an LDP funding scandal, and US tariffs of 25 percent due to bite from August 1 if there is no trade deal with the United States. Japanese imports are already subject to a 10 percent tariff, while the auto industry, which accounts for eight percent of jobs, is reeling from a 25 percent levy. Weak export data last week, which showed plummeting US-bound auto deliveries, stoked fears that Japan could tip into a technical recession. Despite Ishiba securing an early meeting with Trump in February, and sending his trade envoy to Washington seven times, there has been no accord. 'Japanese first' The last time the LDP and Komeito failed to win a majority in the upper house was in 2010, having already fallen below the threshold in 2007. That was followed by a rare change of government in 2009, when the now-defunct Democratic Party of Japan governed for a rocky three years. Today, the opposition is fragmented, and chances are slim that the parties can form an alternative government. Populist opposition party Sanseito wants 'stricter rules and limits' on immigration, opposes 'globalism' and 'radical' gender policies, and wants a rethink on decarbonisation and vaccines. Last week, it was forced to deny any links to Moscow — which has backed populist parties elsewhere — after a candidate was interviewed by Russian state media. 'They put into words what I had been thinking about but couldn't put into words for many years,' one voter told AFP at a Sanseito rally.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Japan's shaky government loses upper house control
Japan's ruling coalition has lost control of the upper house in an election, further weakening Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's grip on power even as he vowed to remain party leader, citing a looming tariff deadline with the United States. While the ballot does not directly determine whether Ishiba's administration will fall, it heaps pressure on the embattled leader who also lost control of the more powerful lower house in October. Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) and coalition partner Komeito returned 47 seats, short of the 50 seats it needed to ensure a majority in the 248-seat upper chamber in an election where half the seats were up for grabs. That comes on top of its worst showing in 15 years in October's lower house election, a vote that has left Ishiba's administration vulnerable to no-confidence motions and calls from within his own party for leadership change. Speaking late on Sunday evening after exit polls closed, Ishiba told NHK he "solemnly" accepted the "harsh result". "We are engaged in extremely critical tariff negotiations with the United States ... we must never ruin these negotiations. It is only natural to devote our complete dedication and energy to realising our national interests," he later told TV Tokyo. Asked whether he intended to stay on as premier, he said, "that's right". Japan, the world's fourth-largest economy, faces a deadline of August 1 to strike a trade deal with the United States or face punishing tariffs in its largest export market. The main opposition Constitutional Democratic Party finished second with 22 seats. Meanwhile, the far-right Sanseito party announced its arrival in mainstream politics, adding 14 seats to one elected previously. Launched on YouTube a few years ago, the populist party found wider appeal with its "Japanese First" campaign and warnings about a "silent invasion" of foreigners. Opposition parties advocating for tax cuts and welfare spending struck a chord with voters, as rising consumer prices - particularly a jump in the cost of rice - have sowed frustration at the government's response. The LDP has been urging fiscal restraint, with one eye on a very jittery government bond market, as investors worry about Japan's ability to refinance the world's largest debt pile. Any concessions the LDP must now strike with opposition parties to pass policy will only further elevate those nerves, analysts say. "The ruling party will have to compromise in order to gain the co-operation of the opposition, and the budget will continue to expand," said Yu Uchiyama, a politics professor at the University of Tokyo. "Overseas investors' evaluation of the Japan economy will also be quite harsh."
CTV News
2 days ago
- Politics
- CTV News
Japan's governing coalition loses upper house election
Voters fill in their ballots in the upper house election at a polling station Sunday, July 20, 2025, in Tokyo. (AP Photo/Eugene Hoshiko) TOKYO — Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba's ruling coalition failed to secure a majority in the 248-seat upper house in a crucial parliamentary election, Japan's NHK public television said Monday. Ishiba's Liberal Democratic Party and its junior coalition partner Komeito needed to win 50 seats on top of the 75 seats they already have to reach the goal. With two more seats to be decided, the coalition had only 46 seats. The loss is another blow to Ishiba's coalition, making it a minority in both houses following its October defeat in the lower house election, and worsening Japan's political instability. It was the first time the LDP has lost a majority in both houses of parliament since the party's foundation in 1955. Ishiba on Sunday expressed determination to stay on to tackle challenges such as U.S. tariff threats, but he could face calls from within his party to step down or find another coalition partner. Mari Yamaguchi, The Associated Press Reeno Hashimoto contributed to this report.
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Japan elections deepen political, market instability
Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba vowed to stay in his post after his ruling bloc was projected to lose its majority in the country's upper house of parliament. The outcome of Sunday's election doesn't directly alter Ishiba's coalition, but it does heap pressure and political instability on it: Ishiba's efforts to lower prices apparently haven't registered with voters, who are increasingly turning to populist alternatives. He now faces the twin challenges of quelling market turmoil at home and navigating US trade negotiations, with analysts suggesting his weakened position could disadvantage Japan. Still, choosing a new leader now would be 'a matter of 'picking chestnuts out of the fire' — an extremely risky and undesirable task,' a Japanese politics professor said. Solve the daily Crossword
