https://www.scmp.com/rss/523014/feed The latest news and top stories on Sohei Kamiya, a prominent Japanese political figure. As Secretary General of the far-right Sanseito party, he has been a Member of the House of Councillors since 2022. Kamiya co-founded Sanseito in 2020, which advocates for nationalist, anti-globalisation, and "Japanese First" policies, including restrictions on foreign ownership and reduced foreign workers. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Reuters Reuters In the week before his fatal shooting, right-wing US political activist Charlie Kirk cheered the boom of conservative young men in South Korea and warned about a “globalist menace” in Tokyo on his first speaking tour of Asia. Kirk, 31, who helped amplify Republican President Donald Trump’s agenda to young voters with often inflammatory rhetoric focused on issues such as gender and immigration, was shot in the neck on Wednesday at a speaking event at a Utah university. In Seoul on Friday, he... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3325153/charlie-kirk-boasted-about-trumps-win-seoul-told-japan-fight-globalism?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3325153/charlie-kirk-boasted-about-trumps-win-seoul-told-japan-fight-globalism?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 11 Sep 2025 06:42:14 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse A Japanese politician who campaigns against discrimination is refusing to “shut up” after her local assembly passed a motion requesting that she stop posting on social media with her official title. Megumi Fukushima, an independent lawmaker in the city assembly of Tsurugashima, northwest of Tokyo, has denounced prejudice against immigrants and women on social media platforms. This has included criticising the right-wing “Japanese First” Sanseito party, which did well in last month’s upper house... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3320931/meet-woman-refusing-be-silenced-japans-far-right?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3320931/meet-woman-refusing-be-silenced-japans-far-right?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Aug 2025 07:35:07 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Populist ideals are gaining traction in Japan, spurred by right-wing politicians running rampant elsewhere railing against “elitism”, “globalism” and immigration. While Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s coalition lost its upper house majority in an election on Sunday, the “Japanese first” Sanseito party, created only five years ago, increased its seats from two to 15. Sanseito’s agenda comes straight from the copybook of right-wing movements such as US President Donald Trump’s “Make America Great... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3319120/echoes-trump-and-farage-reach-japan-populist-wave-grows?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3319120/echoes-trump-and-farage-reach-japan-populist-wave-grows?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jul 2025 07:50:27 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall With his grasp on power slipping, Japan’s Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba has vowed to remain in office despite a stinging electoral rebuke that plunged his ruling coalition into fresh turmoil. The humiliating setback, confirmed late on Sunday, has fuelled doubts about Ishiba’s leadership as rivals within his Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) circle and stoked anxiety in the world’s fourth-largest economy, already reeling from rising prices, mounting security threats and the disruptive effects of US... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319039/ishibas-last-stand-japans-ldp-turmoil-sanseito-surge-erodes-pms-grip-power?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319039/ishibas-last-stand-japans-ldp-turmoil-sanseito-surge-erodes-pms-grip-power?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 22 Jul 2025 00:00:12 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo A temple in southwestern Japan is drawing controversy and criticism for its recent decision to charge admission only to foreign tourists. Since May, Nanzoin Temple in Fukuoka prefecture, known for its 41-metre (135-foot) long reclining Buddha statue, has been charging foreign visitors 300 yen (US$2) to enter, saying the funds are needed to address nuisance behaviour. An expert said that the move “lacks transparency”, as debate over the pricing policy for foreign tourists – whose numbers have... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3318963/are-you-japan-foreigners-must-pay-pray-temple?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3318963/are-you-japan-foreigners-must-pay-pray-temple?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jul 2025 04:49:17 +0000 Reuters Reuters The fringe far-right Sanseito party emerged as one of the biggest winners in Japan’s upper house election on Sunday, gaining support with warnings of a “silent invasion” of immigrants and pledges for tax cuts and welfare spending. Birthed on YouTube during the Covid-19 pandemic spreading conspiracy theories about vaccinations and a cabal of global elites, the party broke into mainstream politics with its “Japanese First” campaign. The party won 14 seats, according to public broadcaster NHK,... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3318943/sanseitos-japanese-first-gains-traction-amid-concerns-over-immigration-economy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3318943/sanseitos-japanese-first-gains-traction-amid-concerns-over-immigration-economy?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 21 Jul 2025 01:55:37 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall As Japan heads into a pivotal upper house election, populist parties on the far-right are seizing on anti-immigrant rhetoric to win over voters, echoing the strategies of US President Donald Trump’s Republicans and hard-right movements across Europe. While candidates from across the political spectrum in Japan campaign on familiar issues such as inflation, jobs and defence, a surge in anti-immigrant messaging has also reframed the national conversation ahead of the House of Councillors election... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318332/will-japans-anti-immigrant-far-right-parties-win-more-votes-key-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318332/will-japans-anti-immigrant-far-right-parties-win-more-votes-key-election?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 16 Jul 2025 00:00:07 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Naoki Hyakuta, leader of the minor right-wing opposition Conservative Party of Japan, made remarks on Saturday that could be construed as hate speech, criticising foreign workers during a national election campaign. Foreign workers “disrespect Japanese culture, ignore the rules, assault Japanese people, and steal their belongings,” Hyakuta, a former novelist, said in a stump speech ahead of the July 20 House of Councillors election. He emphasised his opposition to the burial customs practised by... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3317121/japan-politician-ups-migration-rhetoric-says-foreigners-ignore-rules-assault-locals?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3317121/japan-politician-ups-migration-rhetoric-says-foreigners-ignore-rules-assault-locals?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 06 Jul 2025 04:16:29 +0000