Japan’s far-right party makes electoral gains with anti-globalist message

Surbacked by a wave of populist rhetoric, anti-immigration warnings, and populist pledges on social welfare, Japan’s far-right Sanseito party has emerged as a major winner in the nation’s upper house election.

Sanseito was projected on Sunday by national broadcaster NHK, which dramatically increased its presence beyond the single seat it previously held, as a fringe movement that emerged on YouTube during the COVID-19 pandemic.

The party, which only controls three seats in the more powerful lower house, has benefited from voter outcry over rising living costs and the economy’s decline.

Former English teacher and manager of supermarkets Sohei Kamiya, 47, has been in charge of this shift. He openly credits US President Donald Trump’s “bold political style” as inspiration for conspiracy theories about vaccines and “globalist elites.”

Japan’s ruling coalition is likely to lose its majority in the upper house, according to a poll conducted by local media, 32 to 51 seats are expected to be won.

The “Japan First” movement

Kamiya defended his “Japanese First” motto in an interview with Nippon Television following the election.

By repressing globalism, the phrase was intended to express how the Japanese people rebuilt their lives. He did not advocate for a total ban on foreigners or for every foreigner to leave Japan, he said.

Sanseito has built its platform on fears of an “silent invasion” by immigrants despite his denial of xenophobia. Many Japanese voters are familiar with this message, which are echoed by political analysts, who are dealing with a sluggish economy and weakening the yen, which have attracted record numbers of tourists and fueled inflation.

Only about 3 percent of the population, or 3.8%, of foreign residents in Japan, despite concerns that immigration is still prevalent.

Just 7% of respondents to NHK polls prior to the election cited immigration as their top concern. More voters expressed concern about the country’s declining birth rate and rising food costs, particularly rice, which has doubled in price in the last year.

Sanseito’s populist and anti-foreign message is what has caused the buzz, according to the author. However, it also reflects the LDP’s [Liberal Democratic Party] weakness, according to Joshua Walker, president of the US-based Japan Society.