https://www.scmp.com/rss/523274/feed The latest news and top stories on Sanseito party, a Japanese political party dedicated to ultra-conservative values and a "Japanese First" agenda. Founded in 2020, it focuses on national security, education, food sovereignty, traditional culture, anti-immigration policies, skepticism towards globalism and certain public health mandates. en https://assets.i-scmp.com/static/img/icons/scmp-meta-1200x630.png https://www.scmp.com Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, buoyed by a commanding majority in the powerful lower house after this month’s election, is poised to revive one of her longest-standing conservative causes: making it a crime to deface the national flag. At issue is the hinomaru, the national flag, which currently carries no specific criminal penalty if damaged or desecrated – even though the Penal Code sets punishments for defiling foreign flags displayed in Japan with the intent to insult. Takaichi has... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344625/japans-takaichi-revives-push-criminalise-defacing-flag?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3344625/japans-takaichi-revives-push-criminalise-defacing-flag?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 26 Feb 2026 01:30:14 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party, led by Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, has extended its lead from last week in a new poll on the race ahead of the February 8 election, with 36.1 per cent backing the party, up 6.9 percentage points, the survey showed on Sunday. The Centrist Reform Alliance, a new major opposition force, was second with 13.9 per cent, up 2.0 points. At the single-constituency level, the survey conducted over two days from Saturday showed that 44.0 per cent would vote for... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3342018/japans-takaichi-seeks-mandate-improved-majority-snap-election-poll?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3342018/japans-takaichi-seeks-mandate-improved-majority-snap-election-poll?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 01 Feb 2026 14:33:11 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall In Japan, “foreigner policy” has entered mainstream consciousness, with a politically middle-of-the-road newspaper concluding that xenophobia dominated the country’s “national conversation” last year. In a December 29 review of the year, the Mainichi reported that policies and attitudes towards foreign nationals “leapt to the forefront of Japanese politics and onto front pages”, propelled in part by the “xenophobic policies and rhetoric of the right-wing Sanseito party” in the July general... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3340260/japans-year-outsider-how-anti-foreigner-sentiment-went-mainstream?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/lifestyle-culture/article/3340260/japans-year-outsider-how-anti-foreigner-sentiment-went-mainstream?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 19 Jan 2026 03:00:12 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japanese Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi’s bid to strengthen her slim parliamentary majority through a widely expected snap election has grown riskier after the country’s largest opposition party struck an alliance with a former ruling coalition partner. The new alliance between the Constitutional Democratic Party of Japan (CDP) and Komeito, announced on Thursday, complicates Takaichi’s bet that she will be able to significantly build on her razor-thin majority in the lower house of... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339879/japans-takaichi-faces-uphill-task-lower-house-election-after-allys-exit?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3339879/japans-takaichi-faces-uphill-task-lower-house-election-after-allys-exit?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 15 Jan 2026 00:00:13 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall The Japanese government’s plans to tighten espionage and secrecy legislation have been welcomed as a necessary bulwark at a time of deepening national security concerns, although analysts fear that any revisions will be too broad and could be used to stifle free speech and media freedom. Prime Minister Sanae Takaichi, a long-time proponent of tightening rules on espionage and secrecy, was already formulating policies before she took office in October. On November 26, Takaichi told a Diet session... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336322/japans-proposal-speedily-draft-anti-spy-laws-raises-human-rights-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3336322/japans-proposal-speedily-draft-anti-spy-laws-raises-human-rights-concerns?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 14 Dec 2025 01:30:17 +0000 Maria Siow Maria Siow Japan’s struggle to accept outsiders has been exposed once again after a video of a right-wing lawmaker arguing against Muslim burials went viral. The video showed Mizuho Umemura, a House of Councillors member from the populist Sanseito party, objecting to the burial of Muslim residents during a parliamentary debate late last month. She argued that cremation was a vital national custom practised by more than 99 per cent of Japanese people and said that approving new burial grounds for Muslims... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335390/can-japan-find-space-muslim-burials-not-if-right-wing-rhetoric-prevails?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3335390/can-japan-find-space-muslim-burials-not-if-right-wing-rhetoric-prevails?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 07 Dec 2025 00:00:09 +0000 Iman Muttaqin Yusof Iman Muttaqin Yusof A Malaysian English teacher living in Yokohama has gone viral in Japan after sharing photos of a hate-filled message taped to his front door and car, sparking both outrage and an outpouring of support amid growing concern over anti-foreigner sentiment in the country. Written in Japanese and signed “Yokohama City Conservative Faction”, the flier read: “To foreigners, please leave Japan. You are not welcome here. Japan doesn’t need immigrants. Japanese taxes are not paid for you. Go back to your... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3332476/xenophobic-note-warning-malaysian-teacher-leave-japan-draws-outrage-and-support?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/people/article/3332476/xenophobic-note-warning-malaysian-teacher-leave-japan-draws-outrage-and-support?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 12 Nov 2025 08:48:20 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall The decline of Japan’s traditional media and the insatiable appetite of its people for online content have contributed to lurid headlines about crimes committed by foreigners in other countries, according to academics and journalists. Unsurprisingly, they add, the sensationalist stories by Japan’s tabloids and right-wing media posted on their websites and social media have coincided with the electorate’s stance on issues shifting to the right and the rising popularity of anti-immigrant parties,... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328752/are-lurid-stories-japan-crimes-europe-tilting-more-voters-right?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328752/are-lurid-stories-japan-crimes-europe-tilting-more-voters-right?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 13 Oct 2025 03:52:19 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Sanae Takaichi is poised to make history as Japan’s first female prime minister, but her government may be imperilled before it even begins amid a deepening rift within the ruling coalition. The Liberal Democratic Party Takaichi now leads and its long-time junior partner, Komeito, have been in coalition for 26 years. Without Komeito’s parliamentary support, the LDP would lose its majority in the Diet, forcing its leader to seek new political allies. Yet analysts warn that Takaichi’s hardline... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328004/japans-first-female-pm-hits-political-gridlock-she-even-takes-office?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3328004/japans-first-female-pm-hits-political-gridlock-she-even-takes-office?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 07 Oct 2025 00:00:09 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Conservative Sanae Takaichi hailed a “new era” on Saturday after winning the leadership of Japan’s ruling party, putting her on course to become the country’s first woman prime minister. The 64-year-old, whose hero is Margaret Thatcher, said that a “mountain of work” lay ahead to restore the fortunes of her ailing Liberal Democratic Party (LDP). The LDP has governed Japan almost uninterrupted for decades, but it has been haemorrhaging support as backing grows for smaller parties, including the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3327862/japans-ruling-ldp-pick-new-leader-amid-trump-summit-and-election-woes?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3327862/japans-ruling-ldp-pick-new-leader-amid-trump-summit-and-election-woes?utm_source=rss_feed Sat, 04 Oct 2025 02:49:07 +0000 Bloomberg Bloomberg Japan could soon see its first female prime minister, with Sanae Takaichi emerging among the front runners in the ruling Liberal Democratic Party’s leadership race, a significant achievement in a country where women leaders remain a rarity. Hardline conservative Takaichi has consistently been a public favourite, along with Agriculture Minister Shinjiro Koizumi, ahead of the LDP’s leadership vote on October 4. Last year, Takaichi narrowly lost to outgoing Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba in the... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3326302/japans-thatcher-inspired-takaichi-aims-pm-despite-gender-gap?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3326302/japans-thatcher-inspired-takaichi-aims-pm-despite-gender-gap?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 21 Sep 2025 10:42:07 +0000 Abhishek Sharma Abhishek Sharma The Make America Great Again (Maga) movement started in the 2010s, promising to bring back the old glory of the US empire, making the country a global leader in manufacturing, innovation and technology. However, at its heart, Maga was more than that. It focused on anti-immigration and anti-globalisation sentiments, as well as supposedly promoting Christian values. Seeing the success of Maga movements in the US, similar movements took hold in countries such as South Korea and Japan. In an attempt... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3325731/how-maga-support-firing-far-right-south-korea-and-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3325731/how-maga-support-firing-far-right-south-korea-and-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 18 Sep 2025 21:30:08 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Komeito, the Buddhist-backed political partner of Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP), is grappling with what it calls an “existential crisis” after a bruising defeat in July’s Upper House election compounded internal fractures and exposed a growing disconnect with its traditional support base. The party’s stark assessment was contained in a postmortem report, formally approved on Thursday, that acknowledged the scale of the setback. At a subsequent senior party meeting, Secretary... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325380/japans-buddhist-backed-komeito-facing-existential-crisis-after-bruising-election-defeat?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3325380/japans-buddhist-backed-komeito-facing-existential-crisis-after-bruising-election-defeat?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 15 Sep 2025 00:00:13 +0000 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 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Less than 24 hours after Shigeru Ishiba announced his resignation as prime minister, Japan’s ruling party faces a leadership contest that few seem eager to win and even fewer to survive, as it lays bare internal rivalries. Few within Japanese politics were truly taken aback when Ishiba confirmed his decision to step down as leader of the Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) in a televised address on Sunday evening. On Monday, former LDP secretary general Toshimitsu Motegi became the first to throw his... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324720/who-will-be-japans-next-pm-poisoned-chalice-leadership-awaits-ldps-winner?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3324720/who-will-be-japans-next-pm-poisoned-chalice-leadership-awaits-ldps-winner?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 08 Sep 2025 08:13:41 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse The Australian embassy in Japan issued a warning to travellers to behave themselves after an Instagrammer drank offerings from a Japanese burial site, provoking widespread anger online. In the most recent example of fame-seeking foreigners riling locals, Lochie Jones – reportedly an Australian tourist – posted a clip of himself swigging from a can placed on a headstone as an offering. Moments earlier, he is seen flipping a coin to decide whether to open the drink, likely left as a gift for... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3324180/australia-tells-travellers-respect-japan-laws-after-outrage-over-mans-cemetery-stunt?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3324180/australia-tells-travellers-respect-japan-laws-after-outrage-over-mans-cemetery-stunt?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 03 Sep 2025 08:13:39 +0000 Agence France-Presse Agence France-Presse Elon Musk has voiced support for an anti-immigration demonstration in Japan, where the number of foreign-born residents is low and a “Japanese first” party did well in recent elections. The Tesla and SpaceX chief and former adviser to US President Donald Trump has backed far-right parties in other countries, such as Alternative for Germany. Commenting on a video of the modest rally in Japan posted on social media by an account called The British Patriot, South African-born Musk said on Monday:... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3323999/musk-backs-japans-anti-immigrant-rally-amid-foreigner-fears-over-japanese-first-policy?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3323999/musk-backs-japans-anti-immigrant-rally-amid-foreigner-fears-over-japanese-first-policy?utm_source=rss_feed Tue, 02 Sep 2025 04:26:17 +0000 Kyodo Kyodo The population of Japanese nationals in 2024 fell by around 908,000 from a year earlier to 120,653,227, declining for the 16th straight year and the largest drop since the current survey began in 1968, government data showed on Wednesday. The latest figures come as policymakers continue to struggle to reverse falling birth rates and regional depopulation, and while anxiety over record foreign resident numbers spurs some voters to turn to opposition parties touting slogans such as “Japanese... https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3320978/japan-loses-nearly-1-million-people-16th-straight-year-population-decline?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/asia/east-asia/article/3320978/japan-loses-nearly-1-million-people-16th-straight-year-population-decline?utm_source=rss_feed Wed, 06 Aug 2025 12:02:07 +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 Alyssa Chen Alyssa Chen The Chinese embassy in Tokyo has issued a security alert after two Chinese nationals were wounded in an attack in the Japanese capital on Thursday. Four unidentified men armed with iron pipes attacked two Chinese men as they were walking in Tokyo’s Kanda district at around 9am, according to Japanese media reports. The two victims sustained head wounds but their condition was not life-threatening. Police were searching for the attackers, who were believed to be in their 20s and reportedly not... https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320306/chinas-tokyo-embassy-sounds-alarm-after-2-citizens-attacked-japan?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/news/china/diplomacy/article/3320306/chinas-tokyo-embassy-sounds-alarm-after-2-citizens-attacked-japan?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 31 Jul 2025 10:28:24 +0000 Nicholas Spiro Nicholas Spiro Japan has entered a period of profound change. Inflation has returned after decades of deflation and stagnation. Japan’s relations with the United States, which helped underpin the post-war global order, have deteriorated dramatically. A culturally homogenous nation is experiencing an epic boom in tourism. More surprisingly, a country renowned for political stability is at risk from the anti-establishment populism that has upended politics in other advanced economies. The ruling Liberal... https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3319789/inflation-political-turmoil-wont-put-investors-japanese-property?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/opinion/asia-opinion/article/3319789/inflation-political-turmoil-wont-put-investors-japanese-property?utm_source=rss_feed Mon, 28 Jul 2025 08:30:08 +0000 Julian Ryall Julian Ryall Japan’s ruling Liberal Democratic Party (LDP) is grappling with an identity crisis, its decades-long political dominance rattled first by a humiliating electoral defeat and now, the anticipated resignation of Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba. Ishiba, 68, on Wednesday dismissed as “completely unfounded” media reports that he had already decided to step down. But analysts contend that his departure is all but inevitable after the LDP’s second consecutive loss and the collapse of his minority... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319299/japan-pm-ishibas-expected-exit-tips-ruling-ldp-crisis-mode?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3319299/japan-pm-ishibas-expected-exit-tips-ruling-ldp-crisis-mode?utm_source=rss_feed Thu, 24 Jul 2025 00:00:07 +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 Reuters,Maria Siow Reuters,Maria Siow Japanese Prime Minister Shigeru Ishiba’s ruling coalition failed to secure a majority in the 248-seat upper house in a crucial parliamentary election on Sunday, Japan’s NHK public television said on 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. While the ballot does not directly determine whether Ishiba’s shaky... https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318885/weakened-mandate-looms-ishiba-japan-votes-upper-house-election?utm_source=rss_feed https://www.scmp.com/week-asia/politics/article/3318885/weakened-mandate-looms-ishiba-japan-votes-upper-house-election?utm_source=rss_feed Sun, 20 Jul 2025 01:22:39 +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